“His actions were powerful examples—it is most fitting that a school should be a part of his legacy,” Chan said.

Chan concluded by offering a personal motto: “Return is not only measured in financial terms but also in human lives and health.”

Chan’s message was received enthusiastically by the crowd, which included University Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 and members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers—the University’s highest governing bodies. Chan’s mother and other family members were also in attendance.

Garber, speaking in an interview after the ceremony, stressed the importance of the gift given recent high-profile threats to public health worldwide.

“I couldn’t be happier about who’s giving the gift [and] the purpose the gift is being given for, which will not only strengthen Harvard’s School of Public Health but public health as an activity throughout the world,” Garber said. “The timing couldn’t be any greater.”

Students on hand said that the gift is already serving to energize the school.

“There is a lot of hope in the air, and students are looking forward to the next 101 years,” said Pratik Panchal, a student at the HSPH’s Master of Public Health Program.

—Staff writer Amna H. Hashmi can be reached at amna.hashmi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @amna_hashmi.

—Staff writer Steven H. Tenzer can be reached at stenzer@college.harvard.edu.