The Yale School of Management has received a landmark gift of $100 million from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, Dean Kerwin K. Charles announced today. This pledge—the largest in the school’s history—will establish The Broad Center, devoted to strengthening the leadership of America’s public school systems.
This gift will help create a tuition-free master’s degree program for emerging education leaders. It will also create advanced leadership training for top school system executives.
Charles began discussions with The Broad Foundation shortly after starting his term as dean on July 1. The plans that emerged fit squarely with both the school’s mission to educate leaders for business and society. They also reflect Charles’s long-held research interest in how to overcome barriers to economic advancement and human flourishing.
The intersection between business and public education
“Those outside our community may be surprised to see a business school dedicate a major program to public education,” Charles notes.
“But this is exactly the type of issue our school has always cared about—one where leadership informed by systemic thinking, rigorous analysis, and compassion can make a real difference for communities,” he adds. “We share this core vision with The Broad Foundation, and I am excited to see how the strengths of this school and the strengths of The Broad Center can combine to help us realize it.”
The Broad Foundation has invested in public education for 20 years. It has come to believe that schools alone can’t solve the inequities, indignities, and challenges facing students from underserved communities.
Leaders of the country’s urban school systems need rigorous insights and frameworks to address their challenges and create new opportunities. The Center will become a platform for reimagining how skilled management practices can improve the performance of public school districts. In turn, this will create benefits for schools, students, teachers, administrators, and communities across the country.
Yale SOM seeks to train leaders who are attuned to urgent needs, both globally and in their local communities. The school also supports leaders who engage in the work of management with passion, energy, and caring. These new programs at The Broad Center will continue to use management and leadership tools to achieve social progress.
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