Sheldon Krebs

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences has its first commitment for an endowed professorship, thanks to a seven-figure gift from Sheldon Krebs ’63.

Through a charitable bequest, Krebs will establish the Sheldon Krebs Professor in International Relations, an honor that would help Binghamton University recruit an outstanding scholar-educator or recognize the accomplishments and expertise of a current faculty member.

For Krebs, who retired from a 34-yearlong career with the U.S. Department of State, supporting faculty research and scholarship in international relations is a natural fit.

Harpur “opened the world” to him and provided a “wonderful educational experience” at a price he and his family could afford, said Krebs, who is from the area of Queens and Nassau counties in New York. Law school and an education-abroad experience with a family in Poland were also part of his path to becoming a senior foreign service officer.

As “a diplomat mostly during the Cold War period,” Krebs said he served in countries including Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

“It became addictive” working in foreign service, learning different cultures and languages, and gaining exposure to different parts of the world, he said. “I thrived on the lifestyle it provided.”

Krebs recognized that by making his planned gift. He maintains use of the funds and has even seen their value increase — perhaps resulting in “more to give” when the time comes, he said.

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