Home
About Us
Chris Pan's commencement speech at Ohio State has been called "cringe-worthy" and "the worst Ohio State commencement speech ever"but the social entrepreneur and 1999 Ohio State graduate wants to set the record straight.
In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Pan says he was "honored" to be chosen to speak at the ceremony and that he "honestly didn't think it was a prank" when he got an email from President Ted Carter's office on March 8 inviting him to speak.
"I honestly didn't think it was a prank," Pan says.
"I just didn't like realize because it was such a big deal.
Like such a big honor."
Pan, who has spoken at Ohio State several times before, says he started brainstorming ideas for the speech right away and used ayahuasca, a psychedelic liquid from South America, multiple times.
"You look at (people) like John Lennon, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, like these are all guys that regularly work with psychedelics, not for recreational but for healing and for creativity," Pan says.
"I couldn't get myself to do it because that's just not who I am."
He says he tried to write a more traditional speech, but Read the Entire Article
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
One of the world's largest green investment funds is set to announce its first transaction in the US. Per the Wall Street Journal, the Asia Green Fund (AGF) plans to invest up to $1 billion in a...more
Texas is following in the footsteps of Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Utah by pulling billions from BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager. The Texas State Board of Education...more
Amazon is taking a stand against climate change, and it's putting its money where its mouth is. The company on Tuesday announced the 15 startups that have been selected to participate in the...more
The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade this week in an effort to boost the struggling eurozone economy, the Wall Street Journal...more
Foundation: Johnson Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is giving $325 million to help communities that have suffered from "a historic lack of investment" in areas such as housing, water, and infrastructure, the New...more
"We are incredibly honored to receive this recognition from the Cary Chamber of Commerce," Joseph Jenkins, CEO and co-founder of dooable health, says in a press release. He's referring to the...more
Sickle cell disease is one of the most common genetic diseases in the world, affecting one in every 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. Now Abu Dhabi, the United Arab...more
Australia's Pathzero is the world's largest private-market emissions data network, with more than 50,000 assets under management, reports the Guardian. That's more than $13.1 trillion in global...more
"It's about time." That's how Natasha Garcha, senior director and gender-lens investing specialist at Impact Investment Exchange, is framing the investment world's first-of-its-kind asset class...more
The man responsible for turning Samsung into one of the world's most successful companies has died at the age of 99. Lee Byung-Chul, who founded the company in 1910 and became its chairman in...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Three Philanthropic Families Ensure Legacy of Super Bowl
The Tisch, Johnson and Mara families have announced $3 million in donations to the NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation, the independent charitable legacy of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee.
