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From dropping out of high school to becoming a top lawyer, Zhu Qianwen and his wife donated 31.4 million yuan to Harvard Law School, setting a record in the school’s history, and supported 6 professorships and legal research with permanent funds.
FamousSugar Lawyer Morgan Chu and his wife Huang Minhua (Helen Chu) recently reportedHarvard University Harvard Law School donated 31.4 million yuan, setting a record for the largest single donation in the school’s history. The school announced last week that the endowment will permanently establish six professorships to support legal teaching and academic research. zhu qinwenshiNobel The younger brother of physics laureate Steven Chu and former US Secretary of Energy, Huang Minhua is a retired teacher who has long been involved in education and Asian rights advocacy.
Harvard Law School reported that Zhu Qianwen is an alumnus who graduated in 1976. The couple have long supported the development of their alma mater. This donation will help the School recruit and retain outstanding professors through the Permanent Endowment and develop the next generation of legal talent.
When Zhu Qianwen talked about his original intention of donating, he humorously expressed that he was very grateful to Harvard Law School for accidentally admitting him, giving him the opportunity to receive a world-class education and have a pleasant time studying. He hoped to express his gratitude to his alma mater through donating money.
John CP Goldberg, Dean of Harvard Law School, said this historic donation will help the school attract top scholars, support faculty teaching and research, and have a profound impact on future generations.
This is not the first time that Zhu Qianwen and his wife have made such a large donation to Harvard. In 2013, he donated funds to permanently establish the Dean’s Professorship in the Law School, allowing successive deans to receive fund support. Over the years, the couple has also continued to fund professorships, student scholarships, and other teaching and research projects.
Huang Minhua and Zhu Qianwen met while studying at UCLA. According to official information from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Huang Manhua was born in Hong Kong. After moving to Los Angeles, he entered UCLA and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1969. He has been a long-time public elementary school teacher.
The two donated 10 million yuan to UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures in 2024, setting a record for the institute’s largest single donation to support Asian, African-American, Latino and Indigenous studies. In 2025, the couple received the Alumni Impact Award from the UCLA Asian Pacific American Alumni Organization in recognition of their long-term investments in education and philanthropy.
Zhu Qianwen’s academic experience is quite famous. He came from a Chinese immigrant family that valued education. However, he was dissatisfied with the lack of challenge in high school courses. When he was 15 years old, he deliberately gave wrong answers to all the true and false questions in History subject and got zero marks. He then dropped out of school and left home to travel the East Coast of the United States for about a year.
Although he never received a high school diploma, he successfully convinced UCLA to admit him at age 16 and during this time earned five college and graduate degrees, including a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1976. degree was also included.
In an exclusive interview with Harvard Law School in 2013, Zhu Qianwen recalled that her parents were “stunned” when they learned that she had dropped out of school. He admitted that it was not that he hated learning, but rather that he did not like high school courses that lacked challenges. Instead, he liked the atmosphere of free pursuit of knowledge at the university, and even once wanted to remain a lifelong student.
This young man, who did not even graduate from high school, later became a top intellectual property litigation lawyer in the United States. He is currently a partner at the Los Angeles law firm Irell & Manella. He has not only been involved in public welfare legal services for a long time, but also served as Chairman of the Harvard University Board of Regents Supervisory Committee.
Zhu Qianwen’s other brother, Steven Chu, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 and served as Secretary of Energy during the Obama administration; His eldest brother, Gilbert Chu, teaches at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Harvard Law School said total fundraising in fiscal year 2026 exceeded $135 million, a record high.
Summary FAQ
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He donated 31.4 million yuan to Harvard Law School, setting a record for the largest single donation in the school’s history, and will establish 6 professorships through the permanent fund to support teaching, research and talent recruitment.
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Because he felt that high school courses lacked challenges, he deliberately dropped out of school at the age of 15 after scoring zero on exams and left home. However, at the age of 16, he persuaded UCLA to admit him under special circumstances, and then earned 5 degrees along the way, and finally received a doctorate in law from Harvard.
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In 2013, he donated to establish a Dean’s Professorship at Harvard Law School, and in 2024 he donated 10 million yuan to UCLA research institutions to support Asian, African-American, Latino and indigenous research.
