Michael ’87 and Kathleen Schoen

As an undergraduate, Michael Schoen ’87 found that joining his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, and participating in team sports helped him make the most of his years at MIT. “MIT changed my life,” says Schoen, who played on rugby and varsity soccer teams. “But without athletics and my fraternity, I’m not sure I’d have gotten through MIT. I was the first kid in my family to attend college.”

Early supporter. Soon after graduating, Schoen began making gifts to the MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER). He helped start Friends of DAPER, an alumni organization that raises funds and recruits volunteers, and has served on the DAPER visiting committee. “When I visit MIT,” he says, “I see how facility upgrades and innovative programming are benefiting all students, not only varsity athletes.”

Lasting relationships. Schoen’s MIT roots are evident in his professional life as well. After 30 years in leadership roles at major investment banks, he now works as strategic advisor and special assistant to his fraternity brother John Oyler ’90, founder and CEO of BeiGene, a pharmaceutical company with a mission to make cancer treatment more affordable and accessible. 

Body, mind, and spirit. Schoen’s wife, Kathleen, a clinical nutritionist, shares his philanthropic priorities. “Nothing is more important than the whole person—body, mind, and spirit,” he says. “Athletics is part of the lives of many students and applicants. With athletics programs worthy of MIT, we attract and keep the best students.”

Help MIT build a better world. For more information, contact Liz Vena: 617.324.9228; evena@mit.edu. Or visit http://giving.mit.edu.