Scott Galloway M.B.A. ’92. Photo: Jim Block
By his own account, Scott Galloway M.B.A. ’92 credits the Haas School of Business for enabling his success.
“I was a remarkably unremarkable kid,” says Galloway, a globally recognized digital marketing leader. “Cal made what probably seemed, at the time, like an irrational bet on me. It changed my life.”
To honor that gamble, Galloway recently made a $4.4 million gift to Haas to support high-achieving immigrant students through the new Galloway Fellows Fund. The donation — the second-largest from an M.B.A. alum — also fulfills Berkeley’s Founders’ Pledge, a nonbinding commitment by alumni to give back to Cal when they attain success.
“As the son of a single immigrant mother … I was gifted with an almost free education,” says Galloway, now an author, digital technology entrepreneur, and professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business. “I want to ensure the hand remains extended for the next generation of aspiring business leaders who come from immigrant families.”
Inaugural fellowships of $50,000 each have been awarded to four promising students this fall, including Kira Mikityanskaya M.B.A. ’18.
“Receiving support from someone who very clearly cares about the success of children from different countries was very meaningful,” says Mikityanskaya, who added that the award heavily influenced her decision to attend Haas.
Galloway is betting on that: “I’m hoping that on a practical level, (for) a lot of kids who would struggle to either get to Cal or get through Cal, this eases their burden a little bit.”
