Connecticut College honors Boston businesswoman Jean C. Tempel

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Jean C. Tempel speaks at Connecticut College dedication ceremony for the Jean C. Tempel '65 Green and Outdoor Classroom.

NEW LONDON, CT (05/27/2010)(readMedia)-- Connecticut College's sweeping green, the central space on campus with breathtaking views of Long Island Sound, was dedicated May 22 to a woman whose leadership helped put Connecticut College among top liberal arts colleges today.

Jean C. Tempel, managing general partner of First Light Capital in Boston and a former vice chair of Connecticut College's Board of Trustees, is a long-time supporter of her alma mater who has endowed professorships and financed scholarships, was instrumental to the development of the computer science program and is a strong advocate and supporter of new science facilities.

The college green was renamed the Jean C. Tempel '65 Green in her honor. Tempel Green – including a semi-circular granite outdoor classroom that bears her name – was officially dedicated Saturday before a crowd of trustees, faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends of the college.

As chair of the Finance Committee in the late 1990s, Tempel helped the College through a major financial challenge. Her financial support and strong leadership also helped the college establish the conservative financial management practices that continue today and have enabled the college to advance, even during this challenging economic environment.

"She made all the difference to the future of this College. Her leadership brings us to where we are today," said James S. Berrien '74, current chair of the Board.

President Leo I. Higdon Jr. added his own thanks on behalf of the college. "The long sweep of Tempel Green before us represents the promise of this institution. It is viewed by many as the truest representation of the College," he said. "No one understands the promise of Connecticut College more than you. It is so right that it carries your name."

Tempel is a member of the boards of directors of Sonesta International Hotels, Inc., JAZD Markets, Inc. and is on the advisory board to the Adams Harkness Venture funds. Additionally, she is a director of The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, The United Way of Massachusetts Bay, a founding board member of the Commonwealth Institute, and on the President's Council of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Patient-Doctor Partnership of the Bulfinch Medical Group at MGH.

Most recently, she has been elected to the board of The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and elected an overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She has been a trustee and vice chair of the boards of Connecticut College and Northeastern University, and chair of the Northeastern University Funds and Investment Committee for nine years. She is also on the boards of Project Hope in Dorchester and St Anthony's Shrine Guardian's Council.

Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college's 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.

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EDITORS: For additional photos of Jean C. Tempel, visit http://aspen.conncoll.edu/camelweb/index.cfm?fuseaction=images