Vinod Menon walked into his department’s office and was greeted by a pile of mail.
Menon, a professor and chair of physics at the City College of New York, returned to the school on Sept. 1 following a lengthy period of at-home learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What stood out among the many letters was a heavy box, and that was only the beginning of what differentiated this piece of mail from the rest.
Inside the box was a letter written by an anonymous individual who identified themselves as a former CCNY student from “long ago” who, as Menon told CBS News, “wanted to give back in some way.” The mystery person received their undergraduate and master’s degrees at the school, and eventually got a Ph.D. in physics and astronomy.
When Menon investigated the box even further, he made another shocking discovery: $180,000 in cash. “I removed the bubble wrap and there was all this cash staring at me,” he said. “I had never seen money like that ever in my life except for in movies, so I was quite shocked.”
The dean of sciences was called. Security was contacted. The City College foundation, which handles donations, got involved. CCNY eventually launched an investigation with the help of the NYPD and FBI, and Menon parted ways with the money.
“That’s when it left our hands,” he said. “I was getting occasional emails updating me on how things were going and maybe a month or two later, I came to know that the FBI cleared the money and there was nothing wrong with it, it wasn’t illegal or anything, so the college can keep it.”
The school’s board of trustees determined that the science department can keep the cash, which will be put towards establishing a scholarship program for future students.
Menon said, “The fact that the person wanted to give back to the college that gave them the opportunity to get to where they are today, and as a City College faculty member, I am really honored the person picked City College.”
