Harvard's shiny new Science and Engineering Complex just got itself a library with a name that means business: The Susan Wojcicki Library. This dedication is a nod to the late YouTube CEO and Harvard alumna, who apparently believed that great minds, much like a good internet connection, thrive on collaboration.
The ceremony gathered the usual suspects — President Alan Garber, various university bigwigs, faculty, students — alongside the Troper Wojcicki family. Because what's a library dedication without a bit of fanfare and a hefty $20 million gift from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation?
This isn't just about shelves and study carrels, though. The money also funnels flexible funding into the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). We're talking early-stage faculty research, grad student support, and a boost for computing and lab resources. Basically, everything you need to tackle AI, climate change, and making humans healthier, all while trying to figure out if your laptop charger is actually plugged in.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News DetoxThe Unofficial Motto: "No Silos Allowed"
President Garber, in a moment of profound gratitude, noted that this gift perfectly encapsulates Susan's knack for "changing and improving lives and making a difference in the world." Which, if you think about it, is a pretty good goal for a library.
This isn't the family's first rodeo with Harvard. They've previously tossed support at climate initiatives, data science fellowships, and computer science grad programs. The kind of things that make a university librarian's heart sing.
David Parkes, dean of SEAS, added that Wojcicki's "legacy will be visible to future generations of students who will use this space to solve problems, collaborate, and develop the skills they need to become the next generation of leaders." Translation: get ready to innovate, kids, because Susan's watching.
Even University Librarian Martha Whitehead got in on the action, calling the library "a connector," much like Susan herself. It's designed to be a gateway to the world's largest academic library, which sounds less like a building and more like a portal to infinite knowledge. Just try not to get lost.
Wojcicki's own journey started with history and literature at Harvard, but then she took an "Introduction to Computer Science" class as a senior. She was the only humanities student there. Let that sink in. This cross-disciplinary itch defined her career, leading her to become a tech titan at Google and YouTube, always pushing for the idea that the best insights come from smashing different ways of thinking together.
Her husband, Dennis Troper, wrapped it up perfectly, hoping the library will be "a sanctuary for the bold, a lab for the curious, and serve as a reminder to every student here that no matter what your major is, you have the power to change the world." Which, honestly, is a pretty solid reason to hit the books.
