“Yale was a magical time in my life,” says Phil Potter ’94. “I would actually refer to it as such when I was there. I would say to myself, ‘This is it. Soak it up. Enjoy it—because you only get this for four years.’”
Three decades have now passed, and Potter’s nostalgia for Yale has only grown stronger. This past spring, he made a significant gift to support student scholarships at Yale College in honor of his class’s thirtieth reunion. His gift, which adds to an endowed scholarship fund he first established for his twenty-fifth reunion, serves as a testament not only to his enduring love for the Yale experience but also his unwavering commitment to keeping it affordable.
“My time in college was all about personal development,” says Potter. “Aside from hijinks with friends, which we still laugh about today, my focus was on self-discovery and intellectual exploration. Crucially, I learned how to learn at Yale. It’s thanks to my experience there that I’ve craved steep learning curves throughout my adult life.”
For Potter, who studied physics and ancient languages, learning didn’t stop with books, labs, and classes. His friends and peers at Yale were just as crucial. “I always found it remarkable how talented everyone around me was. Yale was this crucible of sorts where we were all mashed together, developing ourselves as individuals and developing each other,” he says. “We were empowered to reach, to aspire.”
Potter believes that should remain true for all Yale students today, regardless of their financial situation. “Paying for college can present real problems that diminish the experience,” he notes. “I want students who attend Yale to be able to freely follow their paths without excessive burdens and without mortgaging their futures.”
More than 3,600 undergraduates (54 percent of Yale College students) currently receive financial aid from Yale. Potter’s scholarship fund is an important source of support that will benefit more students as time goes on. “People who care about Yale’s future should do whatever we can to help its students graduate with the least amount of debt possible,” says Potter. “I feel proud that I’m able to help have this impact. To me it feels like the right thing to do—the right way to give back.”