In eleven years as president, Peter Salovey ’86 PhD has led Yale through an era of massive change at the university and in the world. In July, Salovey will return to the faculty full time as Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology. In his honor, alumni, parents, and friends of the university have contributed to funds that underscore his legacy.
A More Accessible Yale
More than 150 donors, including every current trustee of Yale and members of several other key volunteer groups, have contributed to the Peter Salovey and Marta Elisa Moret Endowed Scholarship Fund in Yale College. The scholarship is a fitting tribute that reinforces Salovey’s signature commitment to ensuring that cost does not stand in the way of enrollment for any student, and it celebrates his commitment to Yale College, where he served as dean and where he has taught hundreds of students over the years. The fund also recognizes the meaningful contributions of Marta Elisa Moret ’84 MPH, Salovey’s wife and the president of a New Haven-based public health research firm. The couple met at Yale as graduate students and have lived in New Haven for nearly forty years.
During Salovey’s presidency, the undergraduate student body grew by more than 15% with the opening of Benjamin Franklin College and Pauli Murray College. This expansion, along with increased outreach to students from traditionally underrepresented groups, has resulted in a Yale College that is more diverse than ever. In the first-year class that arrived in fall 2023, the number of students eligible for Federal Pell Grants—which support students with the highest levels of financial need—was 130% higher than in the incoming class a decade ago. The number of first-generation first-year students is nearly 115% higher, and the number of students of color has increased by 96%.
As the student body has grown, so has the financial aid budget. Yale has not only maintained its commitment to meeting the demonstrated need of every undergraduate but also expanded the aid it offers—this year spending $241.6 million on scholarships for undergraduates. Families with incomes of less than $75,000 per year and typical assets pay nothing for their child’s Yale education, and these benefits extend to every student, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
The Salovey and Moret Scholarship Fund will support generations of students, and the generous gifts to the fund from alumni, parents, and friends bring the university closer to its $1.2 billion goal for financial aid during the For Humanity campaign.
The Salovey Legacy
Generous individuals have also honored Salovey with gifts to areas of the university that are meaningful to him. An anonymous donor has paid tribute to Salovey’s leadership by endowing a professorship in his honor, symbolic of Salovey’s dedication to supporting Yale’s faculty. The chair will be named for Salovey and will support a faculty member within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Another donor has created two scholarships in Salovey’s honor: one for the School of Public Health, which began its transition to an independent school under Peter’s leadership and where Marta earned her degree, and a second for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where Salovey earned his degree and later served as dean.
“I am grateful for the progress we have made together in increasing access to Yale for students from all walks of life and in making Yale more united, more innovative, and even more excellent,” says Salovey. “I am deeply moved that colleagues, fellow alumni, and friends have honored the work Marta and I have done with the Yale and New Haven communities in this way.”