Harvard University announced Monday the receipt of a $350 million gift to the School of Public Health (HSPH), the largest the university has ever received. Given by The Morningside Foundation, the gift was a means of supporting the HSPH's efforts at tackling the toughest health problems in the world.
The Morningside Foundation was established by the family of T.H. Chan, a real estate developer in Hong Kong who died in 1986, so the HSPH will be renamed to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in his memory. The only other school within Harvard to have an individual's name is the Harvard Kennedy School which was named after John F. Kennedy.
According to Dr. Gerald Chan, T.H. Chan's son and director of The Morningside Foundation, T.H. Chan was a staunch supporter of scientific research and education, noting his father would be very pleased that the HSPH has become a part of his legacy.
Gerald Chan himself received his master's and doctorate degrees in the 1970s from the HSPH so Harvard has always had a place in the family's heart. He shares that his father was impressed at the school when he visited once, much like any other parent with a child in Harvard.
"The Chan family's commitment to education and their belief in the power of public health is an inspiration, and their generosity will ensure we have the resources to continue to develop the most innovative solutions that will enable millions of people to live longer and healthier lives, now and in the future," said HSPH Dean Julio Frenk. He adds the gift will be used to focus on four health threats in the world: pandemics, harmful physical and social environments; poverty and humanitarian crises, and failing health care systems.
Harvard President Drew Faust commented that the gift signals "a time of action and opportunity to improve people's health and lives around the world" and that "it will inspire a new generation of public health leaders."
The Morningside Foundation's gift is part of the The Harvard Campaign, a fundraising effort to raise $6.5 billion within seven years. The project started its public phase in 2013 and by May of this year has raised over $3.8 billion for over 100,000 donors.
Other notable donations to Harvard include $150 million from Citadel Advisor LLC founder and CEO and Harvard alumnus Kenneth Griffin and $250 million in total from Swiss entrepreneur and Harvard Business School graduate Hansjoerg Wyss.
