Oscar Tang’s lifetime giving of $66M is unparalleled in school history

A $25 million gift to Phillips Academy from Trustee Emeritus Oscar Tang of New York City will expand financial aid for students and strengthen Andover’s signature need-blind admission program. Tang’s generous support of the Knowledge & Goodness Campaign will also fund other key priorities, including academic innovation, bringing his lifetime giving to the school to an unprecedented $66 million.

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Oscar Tang (Photo: Business Wire)

The announcement was made today by Amy Falls, president of the board of trustees. “We are profoundly grateful for Oscar’s inspiring leadership and for his unparalleled legacy of generosity to our school,” she said. “He believes strongly in the promise of youth from every quarter and the ideal that an Andover education can be life changing.”

Tang, who served as board president from 2004 – 2012, believes in giving back to the school that opened its doors to him, a young refugee who had fled post-war China in 1949, and to his late wife Frances Young Tang, who attended Abbot Academy on a full scholarship. “My financial aid gifts are really from both of us,” said Tang, whose philanthropy has impacted everything from facility improvements and faculty development to the arts and innovative programs at the Tang Institute.

The announcement of Tang’s historic philanthropy comes just weeks after Andover celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Tang Scholars. In addition to providing tuition relief to more than 160 students from across the world, the endowed fund also supports cultural enrichment, music lessons, laptops, even winter clothing.

Tang and former Head of School Barbara Landis Chase were instrumental in initiating PA’s landmark need blind admission policy in 2008 and believe in securing the policy’s future. Tang’s most recent gift will also substantially increase the resources of the Chase Scholars, a parallel program that recognizes Chase’s unwavering commitment to access.

Jim Ventre, assistant head of school for admission and financial aid, has worked closely with Tang since the inception of his scholarship. “Oscar's passion and leadership have reinforced the surest foundation for need blind admission,” he said. “Through the Tang Scholars Program, Oscar continues to deliver on Andover's promise to comprehensively support the young people in our care and change the trajectory of their lives.”

To hear more from Oscar Tang please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veEUVbVm6rE

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