ANOTHER CONTROVERSY FOR BRANDEIS

Five months after Brandeis University faced a firestorm of criticism for its plan to close the Rose Art Museum and sell off its collection, the school is in the midst of another controversy with a donor’s family, reports Thomas Grillo for the Boston Herald. Sumner Kalman, the great-nephew of a 1950s Brandeis benefactor, has filed suit to prevent the school from demolishing the Kalman Science Center. The building was named for Julius Kalman, who left nearly two million dollars to the school when he died in the ’50s. The suit, filed in Suffolk County probate court, alleges that the planned demolition violates the terms of his great-uncle’s will. In a statement e-mailed to the Herald_, Judith Sizer, the school’s attorney, said Brandeis intends to work with the family to resolve the matter. “Brandeis is engaged in a science-complex-renewal project. In the course of that project, new facilities have been constructed, and the oldest ones are scheduled for removal,” the statement said. “The Kalman Science Center is one of the oldest, most heavily used buildings on campus, and must be replaced. The Kalman family was assured that the university has every intention of continuing its memorial to Julius Kalman, a generous early donor to Brandeis.” Brandeis recently retreated from its controversial decision to close the Rose Art Museum and sell its $350 million collection, following a public outcry.