Harvard University launches new center named after Chinese American woman

CAMBRIDGE, the United States - Harvard Business School (HBS) inaugurated on Monday the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center, the first ever building named after a Chinese American on Harvard campus in the Ivy League school's 380-year history.

Built with a donation of 40 million US dollars from the Dr. James Si-Cheng Chao family foundation back in 2012, the center honors the memory of Chao's late wife and recognizes her life-long dedication to education and female empowerment.

"We gather to celebrate a woman who understood the importance of education, and celebrate a family elevated by her commitment, and themselves," Harvard University President Drew Faust told a grand dedication ceremony that attracted heavyweight guests including US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

The three-story, 90,000-square-feet (some 8,300 square meters) center was designed mainly for the training of corporate executives at HBS. It features gathering spaces, academic classrooms and dining facilities, all open to the school's Executive Education participants and students in the MBA and Doctoral Programs.

With Monday's launch, the Chao Center, also the first on HBS campus ever named after a woman, joins other school facilities bearing the names of prominent donors, such as the Chase Building, the Bloomberg Center and the Baker Library.