As Harvard University transforms its Allston campus into an epicenter of research and innovation, Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly (MBA 1984) have made a gift that both accelerates that progress and catalyzes the collaboration between HBS and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS) by creating an endowment for financial aid for students in the Schools’ joint MS/MBA program in Engineering Sciences.

“The expansion of SEAS to Allston is a catalyst for collaboration that will propel and transform teaching and research at Harvard for decades to come,” says HBS Dean Nitin Nohria. “This generous gift will support future leaders who will bridge the worlds of business and engineering, spurring innovation and the commercialization of new discoveries to address many of society’s most exciting opportunities.”

Dupré and Nunnelly are deeply committed to the growth of the Allston campus and to the creation of innovative programs that give opportunities to students who are driven to build, lead, and create companies that have the potential to change the world.

“We’ve both been enormous fans of the possibilities in Allston for many years,” says Nunnelly, a former managing director at Bain Capital. “It’s so incredibly important to the future of Harvard, the city of Boston, and the entire state of Massachusetts. When John Paulson made his transformative gift, the light underneath the project really started to come forward. We hope that our gift will be one of many catalysts that are launched by this inspiring and large vision that is Allston.”

Dupré expects that the Allston investment will have a ripple effect on the city of Boston. “We hope that it underscores and magnifies all of the amazing things that are happening in the city, drawing people together in this cross-collaboration,” she says.

As the Science and Engineering Complex, which will house SEAS, nears completion, plans for the adjacent 36-acre Enterprise Research Campus are advancing at a brisk pace. In November of last year the University announced the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary to oversee development, with former Massport CEO Thomas Glynn serving as CEO and Dean Nohria as chair of the governing board. Initial plans for the first phase of development include a 14-acre complex of research-focused companies, green space, residences, and a hotel and conference center.

Construction of the Science and Engineering Complex began in 2016 and one year later the joint MS/MBA program in Engineering Sciences was announced. The program welcomed its 29 inaugural degree candidates this past academic year, 2018–2019. The joint degree, which confers an MBA from HBS and a Master of Science (MS) in Engineering Sciences from SEAS, is designed to fuse the strengths from both management and technology programs and create the next generation of inspirational leaders.

“There are moments in the lives of institutions that alter the future in profound ways by creating opportunities for remarkable growth,” says Harvard University President Larry Bacow. “Our emerging campus in Allston will drive the University’s next century of achievement in teaching and research. Denise and Mark realized early the impact of supporting financial aid for students who are going to be leaders in the innovation ecosystem, and their foresight and generosity will amplify our efforts to attract some of the world’s best talent to HBS and SEAS.”

In supporting the MS/MBA in Engineering Sciences, the gift from Nunnelly and Dupré will dramatically increase innovation and the commercialization of new technologies, and make it possible to efficiently take transformative ideas to the marketplace. By providing financial aid, the gift will enable Harvard to attract and support outstanding students to become technically skilled, entrepreneurially minded leaders who will drive the innovation needed to address societal problems and develop value-creating enterprises. Prior to graduation, the program faculty will select students who have shown exemplary leadership, academic success, and innovation to receive an award in the donors’ names.

“Education is the foundation for making our future world better. Innovation and technology are clearly going to be an essential part of that future,” says Nunnelly, who most recently served as Secretary of the Office of Technology Services and Security for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “The MS/MBA program will tap into that, making certain to develop capabilities and leaders that will be an important part of this exciting and changing future.”

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