Evan H. Katz: John A. Paulson Endows Harvard

H E D G E F U N D M A G N AT E J O H N A . PA U L S O N E N D O W S H A R VA R D E VA N H . K A T Z

• On June 3rd, John A. Paulson, hedge fund magnate John Paulson made the largest gift in Harvard University’s history, donating $400 million to support the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

• Paulson is a 1980 Harvard alumnus and is the founder and president of Paulson & Co.

• At the event, Paulson stated, “‘There is nothing more important to improve humanity than education. For 379 years, Harvard has had a profound global impact across a multitude of disciplines that benefits all of humanity. Today’s gift will help continue that legacy by making SEAS a 21st-century engineering leader. It provides a solid endowment for faculty development, research, scholarships, and financial aid,’” (Harvard Receives Its Largest Gift, Harvard Gazette).

• SEAS was founded in 1847 as the Lawrence Scientific School and later changed its name to the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2007.

• The school has three undergraduate-level concentrations, which include biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering.

• There is also a master’s program that focuses on computational science and engineering.

• To honor Mr. Paulson, the School will be renamed the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

• John A.Paulson was born in Queens to a father from Ecuador who served in the United States Army during WWII.

• Paulson founded Paulson & Co. in 1994 with $2 million, a company that now stands as one of Wall Street’s most successful hedge funds after making billions of dollars in 2007

• The company specializes in alternative investments and manages over $18 billion.

• Before finding his company, Paulson worked at several firms including Bear Stearns and the Boston Consulting Group.

• Harvard University acknowledges Paulson as an extremely intelligent, generous humanitarian who has donated to a plethora of causes involving the arts, health care, conservation, and, of course, education.

• He currently serves in the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors, along with the Central Park Conservancy, the New York University Board of Trustees, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

• To read more about John A. Paulson’s latest donation to Harvard, read this article published by the Harvard Gazette.