P.S. du Pont viewed education as an opportunity for individuals not only to follow traditional courses of study, but as a means to develop the discipline of mind and habit required to succeed in the rapidly modernizing world of the early 20th century.

In 1915, P.S. du Pont's then-anonymous gift of $218,000 purchased the entire 40-acre tract of land bordered by Delaware College (now Old College) to the north and the Women's College to the south.

By physically enabling the unification of the two separate colleges, this single gift laid the cornerstone for the creation of the University of Delaware.