Alum Bruce Huang (EdD ’21) and his family have made two generous gifts that will help support students thrive in NYU Steinhardt’s EdD in Leadership and Innovation (EDLI) program.
The Bruce and Anna Huang Family Scholarship will provide tuition assistance to newly admitted students from underrepresented groups enrolled in EDLI to both offset the cost of their degree and strengthen diversity in each cohort for the next five years. After that period, the Bruce and Anna Huang Family Endowed Scholarship will continue providing scholarship support to the EDLI program in perpetuity.
Currently the Director of Master’s Degree Programs in Information Technology at Harvard University, Huang is in what might be considered the third or fourth successful career arc of his life.
After graduating from the University of Texas with his undergraduate degree in computer science, Huang first spent 12 years working for IBM. He left IBM to become an entrepreneur, creating four technology and software startups, as well as obtaining his Master of Laws from Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
After two of his startups – Hyperformix and InfoG2, Inc. – were acquired by larger entities, Huang was free to follow his passion for education more fully. He began by starting two early education centers in Texas, which he and his wife owned and operated.
The EDLI program made a huge impact on me, and I would not have been able to be part of that diverse group and learn so much from everyone if I hadn’t been involved. I want to help people who work in nonprofits, public education, and other industries have that same experience without the anxiety of cost.
“My wife and I were looking for schools for our young daughters, and we began thinking that the kind of education we wanted for them should be available to everyone,” says Huang. “We started our early education ventures focusing on multilingualism and multiculturalism and teaching the value of differences to little kids at an early age.”
In 2016, Huang had the opportunity to begin teaching at UCLA and begin building the digital technology department for the University’s extension school – his first foray into academia.
“Another reason I was driven to education was trying to follow in the footsteps of my mentor, Dr. George Kozmetsky,” says Huang. “He co-founded Teledyne, and after he became a self-made multi-billionaire, he decided to go into higher education to teach academics about capitalism. I wanted to give back in that same way and teach about what I know.”
After earning his Master of Research from the University of Liverpool, Huang decided that he wanted to learn more about education and policy, so he began searching for the right doctorate. Steinhardt’s EDLI program attracted him because of its ability to “bring students from across industry and all walks of life to learn about innovation and leadership together.”
“The EDLI program made a huge impact on me, and I would not have been able to be part of that diverse group and learn so much from everyone if I hadn’t been involved,” says Huang. “I want to help people who work in nonprofits, public education, and other industries have that same experience without the anxiety of cost.”
The Bruce and Anna Huang Family Scholarship is being allocated to students in the newly admitted EDLI cohort.
“I think that education is the most rewarding and effective way to give back,” says Huang. “I have been honored and privileged to have had excellent careers at IBM, as an entrepreneur, and in early and higher education, and to be able to pass that on to others is a blessing.”
To further support EDLI community members who may require financial assistance, Bruce Huang is offering a 1:1 matching challenge for up to $5,000 for the EDLI Connect fundraising initiative. This Rising Violets campaign ends on December 6, 2023, so you can do your part to help maintain the program as an inclusive space for professionals of all kinds by making your contribution to EDLI Connect online now.
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