Providence Equity CEO Nelson donates $25M to Brown for entrepreneurship center

PROVIDENCE EQUITY Partners CEO Jonathan Nelson, a member of Brown University's class of 1977, has given the university $25 million to establish the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/ANDREW HARRER
PROVIDENCE EQUITY Partners CEO Jonathan Nelson, a member of Brown University's class of 1977, has given the university $25 million to establish the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/ANDREW HARRER

PROVIDENCE – Brown University is launching an interdisciplinary center for entrepreneurship with a $25 million gift from alumnus Jonathan M. Nelson, founder and CEO of Providence Equity Partners.
Nelson, class of 1977, said he was inspired to fund the entrepreneurship center because of Brown’s distinctive approach to education and the unique characteristics of “the Brown student.”
“The qualities of an entrepreneur are, in my mind, the same as the qualities of students at Brown,” Nelson said. “With the open curriculum, Brown already has the students to make an entrepreneurship program a success — independent thinkers who are collaborators, self-motivated and multidisciplinary in their approach. These students self-select into Brown and are aspiring entrepreneurs. We’re filling a demand.”
The center will be unique in its “action-oriented and interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship,” the university said. Called the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, other Brown departments, schools and centers will collaborate to provide students with academic grounding in entrepreneurship, applied experiences and mentorship opportunities.
A facility to house classrooms, workspace and areas to collaborate is being planned. Entrepreneurs-in-residence and student-led activities would also be housed there, the university said.
“The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship positions Brown to amplify our impact, extend our reach and educate the next generation of Brown students with the knowledge and practical skills to actively engage in entrepreneurial activities in the United States and around the world,” Brown President Christina H. Paxson said.
The gift is part of Brown’s $3-billion BrownTogether comprehensive campaign, launched in October to support the goals of the university’s strategic plan. Nelson is serving as a campaign co-chair and has a long history of service to Brown. He became a member of Brown’s Board of Trustees in 2000 before being elected to the Board of Fellows in 2011. Brown’s Nelson Fitness Center bears his name in recognition of his philanthropy.

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