How did your own experiences with higher education change you?
I changed tremendously both at college and in graduate school (MBA). In college, I really did have the quintessential experience of going from being a big fish in a small pond to be a small fish in a huge ocean. I made friends from many different backgrounds who were interested in many different things. Many of my college friends are investors like I am--but they are also oncologists, park rangers, entrepreneurs, management consultants, lawyers, advisors to the NSA. They build quantum computers, run yoga studios and restaurants, they are psychiatrists and CEOs. It really is true that in college, a large part of learning comes outside the classroom. During those four years I learned a great deal about politics and economics (my major) and about German literature (my minor). I learned how to work hard, think critically, argue my point in a respectful and persuasive way. And during my "free time," during all the hours of fun outside the classroom, I experienced a lot more than beer and laughter. I made friendships with amazing people who to this day are teaching me. In a world where we don't trust the news, and where arguments are too often one-dimensional and flawed, we are safer being skeptics. And yet when I'm with the friends I made in college, I am much more likely to listen and to be open-minded. There is no greater feeling than arguing with someone you respect and discovering at the end that due to well-argued logic and their deep knowledge of a topic, you have changed your mind.
What impact do you hope to make through your work at Penn?
By successfully growing the impact of the end endowment, we can directly improve society for generations to come. Increasing our ability to fund research drives innovation and is likely to increase living standards. Expanding our capacity to support financial aid provides more equal and meritocratic access to education for all, irrespective of background. Similarly, expanding our support of the healthcare system directly improves the quality of life for many.
What activity is at the top of your bucket list?
Fund a school with my wife in a developing country, based on Montessori teaching principles, that has a shared curriculum with a sister school in the United States, using modern technology to create mutually beneficial projects, courses and exchanges.
