Navah and Meir Statman
Those lucky enough to spend time with Meir Statman, the Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University, and his wife, Navah Statman MBA ’84, soon learn the saga of a family that has faced its share of turbulence.
Meir and Navah grew up in Israel during a time of scarcity and conflict. Meir was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany after his family fled the Holocaust, and Navah’s mother was secreted across borders during World War II. The couple met at Hebrew University and married in 1969. They eventually moved to America, settling in Cupertino, California, in 1979 when Meir began his work at SCU.
In his career, Meir became a pioneer and well-published thought leader in behavioral finance, educating thousands of SCU students. Navah has also made a significant impact as a mental health advocate and volunteer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Despite hardships, the Statman’s success and good fortune has inspired them to give back to causes they care deeply about, like SCU. We are honored that Meir and Navah have extended their SCU legacy even further by giving to the community in which they have proven to be such tremendous role models.
“Whenever we have good news in life, Navah would say, ‘We have to donate some money,’” Meir shares. “We call it good luck insurance. We are measured by what we give, not by what we have.”
Meir and Navah’s recent gift from their IRA and living trust has helped secure our future of advancing SCU’s academic quality, purpose, and mission. It also inducted them into the Thomas I. Bergin Legacy Society, a group of like-minded supporters who have chosen to include SCU in their estate plans.
To learn how you, too, can support our students and faculty through your estate plan and join the Thomas I. Bergin Legacy Society in celebration of its 35th anniversary, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 408-554-2108 or giftplanning@scu.edu today.