Howard University has announced a $3.5 million gift from an anonymous donor to endow a chair in support of racial equity and social justice in scholarship, teaching, and policy development in the computer sciences.

The Sean McCleese Endowed Chair in Computer Science, Race, and Social Justice aims to ensure that emerging technologies and data analysis are equitable in their design, deployment, and access to help make the United States and the world more just and inclusive. To that end, the chair will be seated in the university’s Center for Applied Data Science & Analytics (CADSA), where it will support the center’s commitment to the equitable use of data technologies.

The chair is named after the founder of Student of Fortune, an online-tutoring marketplace, who died in 2022, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to use technology to advance social justice. Part of the gift will be directed to an endowed fund for the McCleese chair, while the remainder will create a current-use fund to expedite the university’s ability to hire for the position and support CADSA activities.

“This gift [ensures] that the modern tools of computer science and data analysis serve the goals of social justice, a foundational aspect of the University’s mission,” said Howard University provost and chief academic officer Anthony K. Wutoh. “In his life, Mr. McCleese practiced Howard’s commitment to academic excellence and racial equity. It is an honor to keep his name alive through this gift.”

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