TV Mogul Pledges $20-Million to Create Public-Policy School at U. of N.H.

How much: $20-million pledge

Who got it: University of New Hampshire

Who gave it: Marcy Carsey, a co-founder of Carsey-Werner Productions, which produced “The Cosby Show,” “Roseanne,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” and other television shows

Connection to the university: Ms. Carsey earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the university in 1966 and has served on the university’s fundraising board.

Previous big gift: In 2002, she gave $7.5-million to establish the Carsey Institute to conduct policy research on needy children and families.

Where the money will go: To create the Carsey School for Public Policy, which will train both undergraduate and graduate students and be multidisciplinary in approach

How the gift came about: Over the span of two years, university officials held a series of conversations with Ms. Carsey at her home in New York. They presented her with four ideas and suggested donation sums. Ms. Carsey says she decided to support a public-policy school because of her interest in helping to uncover the roots of poverty. “You can’t come to solutions about the problem unless you know what the problem is,” she says. “Sound, fact-based policy that helps people live a better life, get a good education, and raise their kids comes down to research.”

What she hopes the gift will accomplish: “My brother and I were able to go to college because of the opportunities for affordable education. Our father worked at the Quincy shipyard,” Ms. Carsey says. “I just appreciated public education existed and that it was so good. I want to make sure that continues.”