Princeton U. Announces $10 Million Gift

Princeton alumnus and trustee William Fung of Hong Kong will donate $10 million to  increase the University's engagement with scholars around the world and inspire ideas that transcend borders.

Part of the gift will fund the Fung Global Fellows Program, which will bring six early-career international faculty members from the social sciences and the humanities to Princeton for a year of research, writing and collaboration. The program will begin in fall 2013.

"During their stay with us, these scholars will greatly enrich the discourse on our campus, introducing diverse perspectives and fueling collaborative ventures that will benefit us all,” University President Shirley M. Tilghman said.” We are grateful to William Fung for his generous support of our efforts to develop a greater global consciousness."

The gift also will fund an annual academic conference abroad. The first Princeton-Fung Global Forum is scheduled for this winter in Shanghai, and is titled "The Future of the City."

"We expect that the Princeton-Fung Global Forum will quickly become a signature intellectual event that attracts attention from academics and policymakers around the world," Provost Christopher Eisgruber, the University's chief academic officer said.

Fung is group chairman of Li & Fung, a Hong Kong-based multinational group of export and retailing companies. The company, founded by Fung's grandfather in 1906, is a world leader in consumer goods design, development, sourcing and distribution. It manages the supply chain for retailers and brands worldwide with more than 300 offices and distribution centers in some 40 countries. 

Fung earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton in 1970 and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1972, and then began his career at the family firm.

He has been a generous supporter of Princeton's financial aid program.

"In this new age of globalization, Princeton should be even more involved in fostering scholarship everywhere it takes place," Fung said. "Through this gift, I hope to enable Princeton to become a stronger catalyst for developing new and exciting research and for creating international scholarly communities."

The gift is part of the "Citizenship and the World" priority of the University's $1.75 billion Aspire fundraising campaign scheduled to conclude June 30.

More information is available on the program's website (http://www.princeton.edu/funggfp/).