Harvard University today announced two new professorships in civil discourse and one in artificial intelligence, made possible by a gift from alumni Alfred Lin ’94 and Rebecca Lin ’94. These professorships are part of a broader donation that will also support these crucial areas of work within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The gift comes as the university recently announced a new report on open inquiry, with recommendations for faculty and students on how to debate and disagree in the classroom and within the larger campus community. Edgerley Family Dean Hopi Hoekstra launched a Civil Discourse Initiative at FAS last year, and students engaged in the Intellectual Vitality Initiative, both of which promote constructive conversations within Harvard College.
“Alfred and Rebecca’s support will help advance the practice and study of civil discourse in our classrooms and on our campus, and foster innovation and discovery in the field of AI,” said Hoekstra. “Their formative experiences as students and enduring dedication to Harvard are clearly reflected in this inspiring gift.”
The gift marks the Lins’ continued commitment to the university over three decades and comes in celebration of their 30th Harvard College reunion. The new donation is part of a larger contribution from the Class of 1994, which this year set the record for the highest-grossing 30th reunion campaign in Harvard College history. In total, 599 members of the class donated more than $200 million.
The Lin gift will reward two Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professors of Civil Discourse and the Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The Lins’ gift will also launch the Edgerley Family Dean’s Innovation Fund for Generative AI.
“As I like to say, Harvard students often strive to do ‘both/and’ rather than settle for ‘either/or’. Alfred and Rebecca have beautifully demonstrated that spirit of possibility with their latest act of generosity,” said President Alan Garber. “By devoting their support to civil discourse and artificial intelligence, they are both strengthening the foundation of our campus culture and pushing the boundaries of our educational practices. Progress in these two areas is fundamental to our future as a university. I am deeply grateful for the Lins’ support and their show of confidence in Harvard.”
“We came to Harvard with strong values. Some of those values were challenged; some of them were reaffirmed; and we believe it remains a special place where dialogue advances important ideas,” said Alfred Lin.
“Alfred and I have tried to support Harvard when we can or consistently, but we also believe in supporting Harvard in difficult times, and we want to help in those times,” said Rebecca Lin.
The Lins hope their gift will help support an environment where people “can disagree and be disagreeable.” Alfred remembered checking “Justice,” a government course previously taught by Michael Sandel, the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government, and Harvey Mansfield, William R. Kenan Jr. professor of government, emeritus (and recently renewed by Sandel). He recalls that the two professors had opposing political views on controversial topics in an attempt to find the truth.
“They would advocate the extreme sides. They were never unpleasant and always made you think,” Alfred said. “We modeled what we learned about social discourse in ‘Justice’ or other classes when we were just sitting around the table talking at Quincy Grille.”
The Lins award of two professorships in the field of civil discourse builds on these memories. The Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Civil Discourse will recognize faculty for a five-year term who have made significant contributions, whether through teaching, advising or mentoring, to advancing students’ ability to engage in meaningful dialogue. The second Lin Professorship will support a faculty member whose research and teaching focuses on civil discourse and dialogue, ethics, academic freedom and freedom of expression.
Alfred studied applied mathematics, while Rebecca concentrated on physics at college. The couple’s previous gifts focused on supporting financial aid for students pursuing applied sciences and engineering. Their interest in advancing computer science and artificial intelligence is reflected in their new gifts of the SEAS Lectureship and the FAS Dean’s Innovation Fund, which aims to foreground the importance of integrating generative AI tools into teaching and learning to place.
Alfred Lin is a partner at Sequoia Capital, where he invests in early-stage companies in areas including financial technology, robotics and healthcare. He sits on several boards, including Airbnb, DoorDash, Houzz and Zipline. Rebecca Lin is an artist with storyboard credits on several Walt Disney Animation Studios television series and the feature film “Recess, School’s Out.” She serves on the board of directors of the California Academy of Sciences and the UCSF Foundation. The couple previously worked at Zappos, where Alfred was chairman and COO and Rebecca managed real estate.
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