John W. Kluge, CC ’37 and a major donor to the University, passed away today. Kluge came to Columbia on scholarship after leaving Germany for America at the age of 16. He went on to become a billionaire primarily in the telecom and media industries. Over his lifetime he made several gifts to Columbia acknowledging his scholarship, most notably a $400 million gift in 2007, which was the largest ever to a University to be devoted solely to financial aid. He also is the namesake of the Kluge Scholars program, and his death is a heartfelt loss to the university community.