Executive donates $20 million to Virginia Tech

Published March 20, 2018 by Robert Powell, III

David Calhoun, senior managing director for Blackstone and former CEO of Nielsen, has made the largest-ever gift to Virginia Tech’s Honors College.

Calhoun’s $20 million donation supports the beginning of a new collaborative learning program.

The emphasis of the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program will be equipping graduates with knowledge and skills to succeed in a complex and dynamic society.

Calhoun’s gift endows $15 million to help recruit and retain Discovery Program participants, which ultimately will benefit 200 Honors College students each year.

This portion of the gift ties the largest scholarship endowment ever created at Virginia Tech.

The additional $5 million of Calhoun’s gift will be used to develop and teach the curriculum of the Discovery Program and to launch the Calhoun Center for Higher Education Innovation.

Calhoun, of Sunapee, N. H., said his gift reflects gratitude for Virginia Tech’s formative role in his life, and his desire to make higher education more accessible and effective. He is a member of the Tech class of 1979.