Asian University for Women: A Powerful Conversation with Jack Meyer (Chairman Emeritus Board of Directors - AUW Support Foundation) on Women's Education
“We want young women who will change the world - movers & shakers. We wanted to send the message that women’s education is to be valued.” We are honored to share a powerful conversation with Mr. Jack Meyer. Mr. Meyer managed Harvard University’s endowment for more than 15 years and has been involved in several philanthropic organizations. He is also one of the co-founders of the Asian University for Women (AUW). He shares his views with us on the important role of women's education in developing nations, as well as women's education being the “silver bullet” that treats everything.
His journey which led him to AUW began in the 1980’s, where he managed the endowment for the Rockefeller foundation and cultivated a friendship with Mr. Kamal Ahmed (Founder of AUW). Mr. Meyer shares the core mission and values of AUW and the under-represented and marginalized populations that the students come from. With students from 17 countries, 36 ethnicities and 28 languages, AUW provides more than just a world class education to women. It teaches the students to understand tolerance and diversity, which is a lesson that we all in society are struggling to learn everyday.
One can only be amazed at the inspiring story narrated by Mr. Meyer of the remarkable job done by the US military, AUW, top U.S. Universities, prestigious law firms and several other organizations who have come together to help 148 young female Afghan students who left Kabul in August 2021 to re-settle in the US. AUW has created an outstanding mentorship program that continues to help these young students in their new life of freedom and equal access to education and opportunity. And this journey has just begun for these young Afghani women. In this thought-provoking conversation with Women Who Win host Anita Chitnis, they discuss Women’s Rights to Education in Developing Nations, and how women around the world can help and get involved!
Thank you Mr. Jack Meyer and Anita Chitnis for this inspiring conversation!
About Asian University for Women (AUW):
Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW is the first of its kind: a regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education. It is international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia. Chartered by the Parliament of Bangladesh, AUW exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region. It seeks out women who show significant academic achievement and potential, demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injustice, and are empathic to the woes of other people. 1160 students from 17 countries currently attend AUW: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen. More than 85% of AUW students are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world. The University has graduated over a thousand students to date. A majority of AUW graduates secure employment in the private and public sectors in their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies at other institutions of higher learning including Oxford, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Brandeis and Tufts, among others. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org.
About Jack R. Meyer
Jack R. Meyer is Chairman Emeritus of AUW Support Foundation. He was Senior Managing Partner at Convexity Capital Management L.P. located in Boston. Before Convexity, Jack was President and CEO of Harvard Management Company, which manages the University's endowment assets, pension funds, charitable trusts and pooled income funds totaling in excess of $31 billion by the end of his term. Prior to HMC, Jack was Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer of the Rockefeller Foundation where he managed the Foundation's endowment, valued at $2 billion. Before the Foundation, he was Deputy Controller of New York City, where he managed $20 billion in total assets, including the City's pension funds, sinking funds, and treasury funds. He also held various investment management positions with Lionel D. Edie, a New York City investment firm and at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Jack currently serves as the Chair of the Boston Ballet. He was also on the Board of Directors of The Boston Foundation. Previously, he served as a Director of the Investment Responsibility Research Council, and on the investment committees of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Massachusetts State Pension Fund, and the Atlantic Foundation. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Denison University. In 2004 Denison awarded him an honorary doctorate degree. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
About Interview Host, Anita Chitnis
Anita Chitnis has been a software engineer in Software Development and Testing for over 25 years. She has a Master’s in Computer Science at Boston University, MCA (Master’s in Computer Applications) at Anna university Chennai and a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics. She has worked at Tracelink Inc, Harvard Management Company a subsidiary of Harvard University, Convexity Capital Management, Instream Inc., Digital Equipment to name a few. Her passion is in making a positive change in the lives of women and children world-wide and committed to empowering, enabling and mentoring women in all walks of life. She firmly believes that every human being owes it to oneself to lead a fulfilled and happy life and follow their bliss. She loves spending time with nature and the outdoors and passionate about music and enjoys playing the Piano. She is mentoring Female Afghan Students as part of the Mentorship program for the Asian University for Women (AUW) to resettle in the US as they transition to their new life.