Central Connecticut State University in New Britain has announced a $6.5 million gift from the estate of Huang Chang-Jen, who dedicated his life to promoting education and cultural exchange.

The largest bequest ever made to CCSU will bolster a scholarship fund established by Huang two decades ago in support of exchange students from Ouyang Yu Experimental Middle School in China as well as CCSU graduate students traveling to Ouyang Yu to teach English. The gift also will endow a new fund that supports scholarships for students in the university’s schools of Business, Education and Professional Studies and Graduate Studies, and will provide support for a proposed student recreation facility, to be named in honor of Huang.

Born and raised in Hunan, China, Huang passed away in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University in China and his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Michigan. In 1955, he moved to Thailand and established U.S. Summit Corporation’s Bangkok branch and helped turn Bangchak Oil Refinery into one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. Later, he chaired H&W Enterprises, H&W Enterprises Bay Village, and H&W Development LLC and served as an advisor to the U.S. Congress. In addition to his professional career, he founded the C.J. Huang Foundation, established the Asian Liver Research Center at Stanford University, and helped pay for construction of Shanghai Children’s Hospital and the Wuhan University School of Nursing. In 1990, CCSU awarded Huang an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

"Dr. Huang is a wonderful example of those for whom giving is a thoughtful and sustained activity," said Gregory Gray, president of the Connecticut Board of Regents. "From the first instance of his support over two decades ago to this latest bequest, he has created a legacy for himself and his family that is truly inspirational."