In an email to the University community Wednesday morning, President Robert Zimmer announced that the School of Social Service Administration (SSA) will be renamed the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice in honor of a large gift from James and Paula Crown and to better reflect the interdisciplinary work of the school.

UChicago’s school of social work is one of the oldest in the United States, facilitating research and innovation around topics such as “educational inequality, health disparities, crime and violence, poverty, and child and family welfare.” The donation, which is “the largest ever in support of a school of social work,” will be used to support financial aid for students, research and hiring for faculty, and community engagement projects.

James Crown, who received an honorary LL.D. from the University in 2011, is the president of his family’s investment group, Henry Crown and Company, and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. Paula Crown is a multimedia artist. The Crown family has been among the University’s leading donors for more than three generations: The Henry Crown Field House, erected in 1932, is named for James Crown’s grandfather.

“The $75 million gift will bring the Crown family’s total giving in support of social work, education, and access at UChicago to more than $100 million,” Zimmer wrote.