Development & Alumni Relations

The first and foremost priority of the GSD is to attract and enroll the very best students and to prepare them for careers in the design and planning professions. For qualified students, financial constraints should never be a barrier to the GSD. Gifts of financial aid and fellowships keep the GSD competitive by enabling the most talented students to study with our extraordinary faculty.

$30,000 ($10,000/year for three years) - Current use financial aid fund. Funds are spent entirely each fiscal year.

$100,000 (payable over 5 years in increments of $20,000) - The donor may name an endowed financial aid fund. Only the income on the endowment is spent each year (about $5,000). The fund exists in perpetuity.

$250,000 (payable over 5 years in increments of $50,000) - The donor may name the endowed fellowship fund. Only the income (about $12,500) on the endowment is spent each year. The fund exists in perpetuity.

The ability to attract and retain outstanding faculty is critical to ensuring the GSD retain its preeminent position in design and planning education. Faculty, dedicated educators many of whom are also world-renowned practitioners, attract the very best students to work and study in Gund Hall. They teach, innovate, inspire and provide intellectual leadership at Harvard and beyond. They are the lifeblood of the School.

$1,500,000* - Donor can name an endowed faculty development fund. These funds are very flexible and can be used to support research, travel, etc for faculty at any level. Donors can work with the school to designate such gifts toward specific departments (architecture, landscape architecture, urban design or urban planning).

$3,000,000*-- Donor can name an endowed professorship (or “chair”). Professorships are one of the highest honors accorded a faculty member. They are highly visible, as the faculty member uses the named chair title in all publications, correspondence and so forth. They benefit the school enormously by freeing up funds that can be used for other urgent needs.

* -- In February 2006 Harvard announced the “Professorship Challenge” whereby the University provides a 1:4 match. The full cost of a professorship is $4 million; a faculty development fund $2 million; the cost to the donor is listed above.

Opened in 1973, Gund Hall, the GSD's iconic home, houses twice the students it was designed for. Certain spaces have become outdated for the scope and scale of today's teaching and conferences. To fully prepare our students for leadership roles in the 21st century, investment in select areas will be necessary. There are two high impact spaces where improvements are most critical.

Piper Auditorium upgrade: $2.5 million naming gift: Modernize the space with 21st century-appropriate audio-visual and IT capabilities; improve risers, lighting and power. Create flexible space that can be easily transformed into two spaces.

Tray Area: $3 million naming gift: Restructure the tray array in a way consistent with the teaching and learning paradigms of the 21st century.

Other Facilities priority needs: CAD-CAM lab, fabrication lab, materials collection: for details on these gift opportunities please contact a member of the development staff.

In order to help our students, many of whom graduate with an average debt of roughly double the amount of their starting salaries, we have designated that every dollar raised through the Annual Fund be applied to student financial aid.

In addition, the Office of the President matches one-to-one all gifts to the GSD Annual fund, doubling the impact of your contribution. We are proud to report that of the 595 students enrolled at the GSD this academic year, over 60 percent (356 students) have received financial aid totaling $5.2 million. The Annual Fund alone, including the President's match, provided $831, 209 in aid last year.

Your Annual Fund gift toward student financial aid is extremely important, no matter the amount. It will help us provide the best education and a broader future for the brightest minds in design from both the US and abroad, regardless of financial need

Gifts can be made in a variety of ways including: Cash, Securities, Planned Gifts, Personal Residence, Commercial Property, Undeveloped Land, Works of Art, Life Insurance.

To learn more about Planned Giving

Please make checks payable to: Harvard Graduate School of Design

Mail your contribution to:
Office Of Development & Alumni Relations
Harvard Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

If you wish to make an on-line credit card contribution, please see our on-line giving site

The staff at the Graduate School of Design Development & Alumni Relations Office would be pleased to consult with you or your advisor about the various gift alternatives at Harvard. For further information on making a gift to the GSD contact:

Bonnie Campbell
Development & Alumni Relations
Harvard Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: 617-495-4315
Fax: 617-495-5967
bcampbell@gsd.harvard.edu

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