Muhlenberg Receives $1M Gift to Establish Endowed Professorship in Political Philosophy
The gift from Tammy Bormann ’83 P’16 and Mark Paris ’80 P’16, co-chairs of Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg, will be matched by $1 million from the estate of Edward ’42 and Lois Robertson to sustain faculty in political philosophy, philosophy, or political science in perpetuity.Thursday, May 1, 2025 08:00 AM
The inaugural Tammy L. Bormann ’83 P’16 and Mark J. Paris ’80 P’16 Endowed Professor in Political Philosophy Giacomo Gambino. Photo by Kristi Morris/Littlewing StudioThis gift will allow Muhlenberg to establish the Tammy L. Bormann ’83 P’16 and Mark J. Paris ’80 P’16 Endowed Professorship in Political Philosophy. Endowed professorships are one of the seven key priorities of Boundless: The Campaign for Muhlenberg, which began its public phase in 2021 and will end June 30.
“Mark and Tammy are strong believers in the power of a liberal arts education,” says President Kathleen Harring. “This endowed professorship will support a truly interdisciplinary area of study that’s critical to understanding our evolving global political landscape. I am so grateful for Mark and Tammy’s generosity.”
Bormann is founder and principal of the TLB Collective, a national consulting firm that focuses on inclusive organizational development and leadership practice. Paris is managing partner at Creative Climate Capital. Both have been active, engaged, and generous alumni since graduating. They each served for many years as trustees of the college and are current co-chairs of the Boundless campaign.
“As a political philosophy major at Muhlenberg, I loved the interdisciplinary nature of my studies in the building blocks of modern political thought,” Paris says. “It was not just an intellectual obsession for me then. It is also the underpinning of how I move in the world today.”
“Mark and I are deeply honored that this professorship will help ensure Muhlenberg remains a place where passionate, gifted faculty can thrive,” Bormann says. “Political philosophy has shaped our own lives in profound ways, and we’re proud to support a field that continues to challenge minds, foster critical thinking, and enrich the academic soul of the college we love.”
The inaugural Tammy L. Bormann ’83 P’16 and Mark J. Paris ’80 P’16 Endowed Professor in Political Philosophy will be Giacomo Gambino. Gambino, who joined Muhlenberg in 1990, is currently a professor of political science, the co-director of the philosophy and political thought program, and the pre-law advisor. Some of the courses he teaches include Political Ideologies, American Political Thought, and War and Justice. He is a past recipient of the Paul C. Empie Memorial Award for Teaching, was named the Donald and Anne Shire Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2002, and serves as the college marshal. He earned his B.A. from Rutgers University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University.
The Faculty Excellence Matching Challenge, which is being funded by an $8 million distribution from the estate of Edward ’42 and Lois Robertson, was established to support the Boundless campaign goal of endowing 10 new professorships. Each $1 million gift toward a professorship is matched with $1 million from the estate. Two endowed professorships, the Lentz Professorships in Theatre and Dance, were announced prior to the challenge in 2023.
