Columbia Business School lost an esteemed member of its community on Saturday, November 28, when David M. Silfen ’68 passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. Silfen was a dedicated member of the Columbia Business School community and leaves behind an impressive legacy of leadership and philanthropy. His generosity established the David and Lyn Silfen Professorship of Business, currently held by Costis Maglaras, director of the School’s doctoral program. His generosity also established the David and Lyn Silfen Leadership Series. The series attracts world-class leaders to campus to share cutting-edge ideas, leadership experience, and personal philosophies with the next generation of business innovators. 

For almost a decade, Silfen served on the School’s Board of Overseers, offering invaluable guidance and support to enhance the institution. Silfen also served on the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the University of Pennsylvania. He served as chairman of the Trustees Development Committee and as a member of the Board of Overseers of Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences. He was also a member of the Penn Investment Board, which oversees the university’s endowment. In addition, Silfen served as chairman of the Smithsonian Institution Endowment’s Investment Committee and as a former vice chairman of the Smithsonian National Board. 

Silfen earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1968 and later received the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences in 1966. “Columbia Business School has been tremendously fortunate to rely on his wise counsel, inspiring support, and involvement over the years, and he will be deeply missed,” said Dean Glenn Hubbard. 

Gifts in Silfen’s memory can be made to support Weill Cornell Medical College’s pancreatic cancer research. Checks can be sent to the attention of Jennifer Choi Weinstein at Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, Box 314, New York, NY 10065, with a note indicating that the contribution is toward the “David M. Silfen Memorial Fund.”

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