Harvard Receives $11M Gift

Siddhartha Yog, a graduate of the Business School and founder and partner of The Xander Group Inc., has donated $11,000,001 to the University to establish two new professorships and an intellectual entrepreneurship fund, and to support fellowships and financial aid, the University announced Thursday.

The donation is broad in scope, stretching across several schools within the University and supporting a variety of initiatives and disciplines.

“Harvard’s legacy of teaching and learning has long emphasized intellectual exploration and public service,” said University President Drew G. Faust in a statement. “We are grateful to Sid Yog for this generous gift, which will help us to extend that legacy with the support it spreads across three of our Schools and its recognition of emerging areas of scientific research."

The professorships—one at the university level and another at the Graduate School of Education—will be named after The Xander Group.

The Xander University Professorship honors an expert in developing scientific fields. Professor Douglas A. Melton, a stem cell expert, received the professorship in September.

“While the world knows Doug Melton as a scientist who has played a seminal role in the exponential growth of the new field of stem cell science, we at Harvard also know him as an untiring mentor to scientific leaders of tomorrow, and as an academic who is passionate about improving undergraduate education,” Faust said.

The Xander Professor of Education honors someone who has contributed to the study of inequality for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Professor Bridget Terry Long, an expert in issues of higher education access and college preparedness, has been appointed to the position.

The Xander Financial Aid and Fellowship Fund at Harvard Law School will provide funding to support student public service efforts.

“This gift will make a critical difference to our students from around the world who wish to pursue public service, especially during this challenging time,” said Law School Dean Martha L. Minow in a statement.

The extra dollar added to the donation follows an Indian tradition of adding a dollar to monetary contributions as a symbol of good luck.

“This is just my way of wishing good luck to all those who will be associated with this gift in times to come, and expressing my hope that they will add exponential value to the gift itself,” said Yog in a statement.

—Staff writer Justin C. Worland can be reached at jworland@college.harvard.edu.