The Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center

[Music] you [Music] so one way in which one can understand the evolution of business is to just walk through her business school and see the names of the buildings in her business school [Music] she start with JPMorgan stock mr. Baker these were people who were pioneers of American business at the turn of the century when her business called was first founded as we now enter our second century and you think about the frontiers of business [Music] this building so important is that we now have the name of a very important Chinese family on this campus even though we are here in America on the banks of the Charles we're a great global institution and this is a symbol of the globalization that our business school represents [Music] I was appalled a very small farm village [Music] there is only nine families the Japanese you murder the China and we are in the front the war is terrible whole village destroyed [Music] so our family suffered a lot first two years it's to be honest it's like a human all they tried to see wife [Music] after 1949 I was sent all the ship as a cadet [Music] but unfortunately civil war in China but the shower was blocked so I couldn't go back to China anymore it's a totally turmoil lots and lots of people life so I father this is not as aware yes China should have it as their citizen lets us today we're hopeful and build a new word in China so I started a study hard I not only passed as recommendation I blue causally could see in China my mother saw that he was a young man with great potential he achieved the rank of captain sea captain at the very tender age of 29 she had tremendous love for him she believed in him and it's a wonderful love story so I told her when she I said Emily I love you I literally I love you full life I pledged that so here's a prepared because she married a navigator here in America Seema and my wife destroyed enough smart enough clever enough the he supported me asking me to come here [Music] [Music] when my father came to America my mother was already seven months pregnant with me her third child because she basically raised us by herself until my father could bring us over to America it took my father three long years before he was able to bring us to America and we came aboard a ship and it took 37 days ocean journey before we arrived in New York our initial years in America were very difficult my father held three jobs we lived in a one-bedroom apartment we didn't speak English we couldn't eat the food the culture was different but my parents were such optimistic people we were very happy because we were together we united as a family we were in America the land of opportunity hey life's good Oh [Music] my family is a wonderful illustration of the American dream I think about how they left a war-torn country crossed an ocean left family and friends and everything familiar behind all in search for a better life so my parents are extraordinary people I think you're starting to get a sense of the incredible and deep love that they had for one another and they were always optimistic and they always were hand-in-hand looking forward walking forward together as a team as a partnership this is that wedding day we went to the studio my mother was this incredibly loving [Music] thoughtful kind generous and wise person and she was always encouraging and supportive of people's ideas and their dreams most of all she was very unassuming never wanted to be in the spotlight but her influence and her presence was always felt she had a steadfast faith and a very strong moral compass so my father saw my mother as an equal partner he really treasured their relationship he used her as an adviser as a matter of course during business matters as in personal matters I don't know her this always a disparity at 53 my mother finally pursued her lifelong dream of furthering her education she received her master's but she was really thrilled to be back in the classroom to be back on campus to be back at school this family represents triumph over hardship great love that binds a family together a great commitment to making sure that the next generation does better yet a recognition that education is a way to improve one's life and a commitment to now paying forward to be philanthropic to recognize that this great American dream is a dream that should be made possible and available to others yet and through this gift to try and make that opportunity available for many many generations of students in the future almost every one of the big gifts that an institution like the Harvard Business School gets it it goes back a long way [Music] it starts with a remarkable family of the Chou's who had six remarkable daughters for whom came to the Harvard Business School I met dr. Chow when I and Dean light and dick Spangler actually went to New York to meet with dr. Chow and the family to talk about this opportunity as we hoped it would be but you know there wasn't a single building at Harvard Business School at that time made for an Asian not a single building in the entire university till now named for a Chinese American family and there wasn't a single building anywhere in the university name for a woman this was a chance to make a statement in multiple directions and to be part of the future of Harvard University and Harvard Business School this is a splendid gift from the Chou family and it is much dated at Harvard Business School to help expand an already successful executive education program and that these future students will be leaders across the world who will come right here to the chow summer to learn from each other and from Harvard Business School professors the story of this family is so compelling a family that really makes itself from very modest background into one of the great shipping companies and shipping families in the world for most group is an international shipping company specializing in dry bulk carriers so my parents started this company shortly after coming to America really because my father couldn't get hired he had a thick Chinese accent he didn't know anybody nobody could trust him or knew to trust him because they didn't know about his background or have any relationships so he was here all on his own and he had a wife three children to support and he desperately wanted to bring them to America so the Chow family is a great example of the power of leadership in so many spheres of life they have been ambassadors that had built the bridge between China and the United States to economies who together will shape the future of the world so we are so proud to have the legacy of this leadership be represented on our campus my parents are very grateful to America for the opportunities that this country has offered us and that's the reason for their philanthropy [Music] to cultivate and develop a new generation of leaders the Chao family fellowship is my family's way of contributing and helping the next generation [Music] and I hope that that child fellows and the child's fellers are inspired by my parents story because they will find so much strength and I hope that they also know that they continue to inspire us as well so the building has a remarkable location it's at the very edge of Harvard Way which is the main thoroughfare of our business school and now I think it's gonna be at the intersection of another very important thoroughfare which is going to be people traveling from Harvard University across the bridge into our campus as they connect to the spectacular new campus that Harvard is going to have in Olsen as well so we really tried very hard to make sure that our architects understood how important it was for this building given its location to be true to the old McKim Mead and white plan there's another side of the building which relates to Terra Hall and a more contemporary building so the building has this dual capacity which is in the front and looks as if it was a part of our business school for its 100 years and through its back it has this invitation which is a more gloss transparent invitation that says this is the HAR Business School of the 21st century as well in some respects it was an enormous design challenge first of all we know that we're a destination and a destination where people are so eager and proud to be here and so how that all plays out in terms of how you received how it's open how it facilitates movement what its interior designs are where it's comfortable its conducive to conversation where do you sit where do you linger all of those pieces actually play into just pulling the academics together and those are the kind of conversations we had deeply with the architect [Music] there's an intensity that comes with the academic programs here in just the pedagogy with case based learning it's discussion it's enriched by people bringing their points of view so there's a real intensity to what happens in the classroom what happens outside of the classroom people want to continue the dialogue they want to engage with each other about what they just learned there's no other space like this within Harvard University so we're really excited to see what that does in terms of building the community because we know it's it's just gonna change things enormous Lee how wonderful it is of my father to honor his wife with this Ruth Mulan Chiu Chow Center at Harvard Business School [Music] so 2013 was a landmark year at her business school it marked the 50th year of women being admitted to her business we had a major celebration the highlight of that celebration was being able to announce this gifts and I take a special pleasure in the representation of so much of the power of women in this family that this building will represent in its name and in this context world waters honoring their mother for daughters who went to her business school to mark this moment where we reminded ourselves that only 50 years ago was with the first time that we admitted women to her business school [Music] people walk into this building I want them to feel inspired to generate and stimulate new ideas new perspectives new ways of thinking of things they know that they can make a difference because they can we all can Harvard Business School has a unique opportunity to educate future leaders and it is our family's dream that within these walls will arise the next generation of leaders my parents believed you should dream big and that the world was a enormous place full of possibilities and full of opportunities and that it was your job to go out and seek them there is a phrase that my parents would always use with us in Chinese it's you know look to the east look to the west and it's about being observant understanding your environment staying alert and just open your eyes and seeing what a big beautiful world this really could be and also finding a place for yourself in that world and how you could hopefully contribute to it in one way in the future this represents something quite unique in terms of the Chou family and the child family name representing a global name there's something quite powerful in that my experience at HBS has been wonderful it would have not have been possible without the child fellowship thank you to the Chou family for giving me this incredible opportunity to come to HBS I want to thank the child family for giving me this opportunity to pursue my MBA at HBS to give me the opportunity to give back to the Chinese community in the future I want to thank the child family for their wonderful generosity and kindness that enabled me to pursue my dream at HBS I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you for me from all the deans you've worked with and from this institution as a whole we deeply thank you work for the gift you've given us on behalf of the faculty of the students of the staff past present and in particular future of Harvard Business School that may say to the child family thank you very much Fei Jiang Fei Jiang GaN Xie on behalf of everyone in this community I wanted to express my deepest gratitude to dr. James Chao - Ruth Malan - chow who I wish I had the opportunity to meet the child sisters and everyone in their family for this truly magnificent gift this will forever transform her business schools campus and will create a space where generations of leaders will develop themselves thank you [Music] you you

Channel: Harvard Business School

Views: 51,550

Keywords: Harvard, Harvard University, Harvard Business School, HBS, Business School, b school, Chao Family, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center, Chao Center, Harvard Business School Executive Education, Executive Education

Id: fCT_TNqNgdM

Length: 17min 1sec (1021 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 08 2016