First, a $350-million gift of unrestricted endowment funds resulted in the renaming of a school: what Harvard now calls the T. H. Chan School of Public Health. And as the University’s $6.5-billion capital campaign proceeds at high speed, President Drew Faust has now announced that the deanship of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has been named the Edgerley Family Deanship in recognition of philanthropic support and the commitment of time made by Paul B. Edgerley, M.B.A. ’83, and Sandra Matejic Edgerley ’84, M.B.A. ’89.
As reported, the Edgerleys are among the four co-chairs of the FAS campaign; they are also co-chairs of The Harvard Campaign. Paul Edgerley is managing director of Bain Capital, the private-equity firm. Sandra Edgerley worked at Bain & Company for a decade, and is now an active Harvard and Boston-area philanthropic leader. Their older children, Brian and Matthew, are members of the College classes of 2016 and 2017.
Faust made the announcement at the Harvard College Fund Assembly this past Saturday; a news release was issued today. It notes, “The most recent support from the Edgerleys will endow the deanship, covering the salary and other administrative costs for the position while helping to maintain and strengthen the leadership of FAS going forward.” Without specifying that or other gifts, the announcement cited Dean Michael D. Smith, who noted that the Edgerleys’ support “has removed financial barriers for our students, enabled cutting-edge teaching and learning in our classrooms, and opened new directions in faculty-driven research. I am deeply grateful to Sandy and Paul for their support of my office and for partnering with me to advance priorities that will positively impact the entire FAS for generations to come.”
Endowing a deanship at Harvard is not without precedent. The Law School’s Martha Minow is Morgan and Helen Chu dean and professor; Harvard Law Today reported on the $5-million endowment gift from Morgan Chu, J.D. ’76, an intellectual-property lawyer, and Helen Chu, a public-school teacher, in May 2013. Morgan Chu has been a member of the University’s Board of Overseers since 2009, and is also a member of the Committee on University Resources, the most senior fundraising-advisory group.
Read the news announcement here.
