Retired Art History Professor Leaves $2.8 Million Fortune to Former Students

A photo provided by Ryan White shows White with Professor Cris Hassold after he and other former students helped clean up her property in Sarasota, Fla. Hassold, a professor at the New College of Florida for 50 years, left a mark on her 31 favorite students, who inherited her intensity, her quirks and, in the end, her life savings

Thirty-one former students of longtime art history professor Cris Hassold received an unexpected and life-changing surprise when they learned she had left them the bulk of her $2.8 million estate.

Hassold, who taught at the New College of Florida in Sarasota for more than 50 years, was celebrated for her unconventional teaching style and for building deep, lasting relationships with her students. Known for treating her students like family, Hassold never married or had children of her own, instead choosing to invest her time, energy, and ultimately her fortune into those she mentored.

An undated photo provided by Nicole Archer shows her former professor, Cris Hassold, left, who taught art history at the New College of Florida. Hassold, a professor at the college for 50 years, left a mark on her 31 favorite students, who inherited her intensity, her quirks and, in the end, her life savings

When she passed away in 2020 at the age of 89, 36 individuals were named in her will, with 31 of them being former students. The bequests varied in size—from approximately $26,000 to $560,000—based on how close each student had been to Hassold and how much she believed they needed the support.

One of the recipients, Dr. Nicole Archer, now a professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey, recalled the shock she felt upon receiving a $100,000 check in a package from Sarasota in August 2021. “I truly, honestly believed that I read it wrong,” she said, noting she had to trace the number with her finger to confirm how many zeros were on the check.

New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla.

Archer remembered her first encounter with Hassold as a college freshman as transformative. “She was just herself. It was a type of woman I had never met,” she said.

Former students described Hassold as a mentor who not only inspired them intellectually but also gave them emotional support and guidance they often lacked at home. Katie Helms, 47, a queer woman and another recipient, grew tearful when recalling her connection with the professor. “I’ll never get the kind of acknowledgment from my parents that I got from her,” she said. “I think about her almost every day.”

Hassold frequently held intimate dinners with her students at local restaurants, engaging them in discussions about their dreams and encouraging practical thinking about how to achieve them. She asked pointed, thoughtful questions such as, “What do you want to do and how do you get there? Who do you like to read? Where do they teach? They teach abroad? How do you save up the money to go?”

The financial gifts Hassold left behind have since been used by her former students for various life needs, including medical bills and down payments on homes—gestures that reflect not only her generosity but also her enduring impact on those she mentored.