The State University of New York at Binghamton apparently is the latest beneficiary of a multimillion-dollar gift from a donor who demands complete anonymity.

The $6-million donation to Binghamton follows similar gifts to at least a dozen other colleges and universities in recent weeks. Like the other gifts, it came with two strings attached: The university must not try to learn the identity of the donor, and most of the money must be used for scholarships and student aid.

“To have this come out of the blue, it really takes your breath away,” Binghamton’s president, Lois B. DeFleur, told the Press & Sun-Bulletin, a local newspaper. She added that within minutes of the gift’s announcement on the newspaper’s Web site, the university’s financial-aid office began receiving calls from students asking about the money.

The recipient colleges seem to have almost nothing in common, the Associated Press noted — except that, so far, all are led by women. —Charles Huckabee