When he returned to teaching in-person after the pandemic, Dr. Vinod Menon (above), Chairman of the Physics Department at City College of New York in Harlem, finally looked through a pile of office mail and found a cardboard box the size of a toaster. The box — heavy enough to warrant $90 in postage for priority U.S. mail — was addressed to “Chairman, Physics Department.” Maybe it was a token of thanks from a former student, Dr. Menon thought, as he inspected the package. It had been sitting for more than nine months, first in the campus mailroom and then in the physics office. For Dr. Menon, 49, an exciting moment usually comes in a campus laboratory with some breakthrough. However, the contents of the cardboard box gave him quite a charge. It was full of $50 and $100 bills bundled in paper bands, totaling $180,000. An enclosed letter explained that the cash was a donation meant to help needy physics and math students at City College. The letter went on to explain the donor’s motivations. “Assuming that you are bit curious as to why I am doing this, the reason is straightforward,” wrote the donor. He or she went on to say that he/she “long ago” took advantage of the excellent educational opportunity of earning a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics at City College, which helped lead to a long, productive, immensely rewarding scientific career. The note was unsigned, but the name on the return address was Kyle Paisley. A check of school records revealed that no one by that name had graduated from the college. Based on information on the bands bundling the cash, federal agents determined that it had been withdrawn from several banks in Maryland in recent years, but wasn't connected to criminal activity. The college made the decision to set up two full-tuition scholarships each year for the next decade. In the spirit of the donation, Dr. Menon said the fellowship would require that the recipients of the scholarships give back in some way, perhaps by peer mentoring.
