University of New Haven Alumnus Gives $10 Million to Support New Saudi Arabia Campus

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The University of New Haven in West Haven photographed on April 1, 2022. The university received a $10 million philanthropic gift from alumnus Douglas D. Schumann to support the launch of the College of Business and Digital Innovation in Saudi Arabia.

The University of New Haven received a $10 million philanthropic gift from alumnus Douglas D. Schumann to support the launch of the College of Business and Digital Innovation in Saudi Arabia.

The University of New Haven received a $10 million philanthropic gift from alumnus Douglas D. Schumann, above right with university President Jens Frederiksen, left, to support the launch of the College of Business and Digital Innovation in Saudi Arabia.

A $10 million donation from an alumnus will support the University of New Haven’s new campus in Saudi Arabia, which is set to open this fall, the university announced Monday.

The gift, from alumnus Douglas Schumann, will support the opening of the College of Business and Digital Innovation at the university’s campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to a July 20 press release.

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University of New Haven — Riyadh will be the first independently licensed American university campus in Saudi Arabia, according to the university. It was approved by the Saudi government in 2025 and the university’s U.S. accreditor in April, the university said.

The $10 million gift will go toward the facilities, technology, programs and faculty of the College of Business and Digital Innovation, the first of three colleges planned for the Riyadh branch campus. It is set to welcome the first cohort of students this fall.

Schumann, who earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the University of New Haven in 1969 and founded the Bristol-based manufacturing company P-Q Controls Inc. in 1972, said in the press release that the gift was a tribute to his parents.

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“They believed that opportunity should never be limited by where a person happens to be born, and that education is the surest way to open doors,” he said in the July 20 press release. “Helping to launch a college that will do exactly that, for students half a world away, honors their legacy in the truest sense. Their generosity and their faith in others are the reason this gift exists, and I am proud to carry it forward in their name.”

The new College of Business and Digital Innovation will offer degrees in business, entrepreneurship and digital innovation, with a focus on business, analytics, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and other emerging fields. It is expected to have an inaugural incoming class of up to 500 students, according to the university.

“The College of Business and Digital Innovation will equip a new generation to shape the digital economy, and it will stand as proof of what becomes possible when bold vision, global partnership, and philanthropic leadership come together,” said University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen in the July 20 press release.

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The new 62,000-square-foot campus in Misk City will feature advanced classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, and technology-enabled labs, according to the press release. Misk City is a district in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia and its most populous city.

“Douglas Schumann’s extraordinary generosity allows us to do something that has never been done before,” Frederiksen said in the July 20 press release. “As a proud alumnus, Doug has long demonstrated his commitment to expanding access to education and innovation.”

Schumann’s $10 million gift is one of the largest contributions in the University of New Haven’s history, according to the press release. Schumann has also made a $25 million gift to Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he graduated from the Aircraft Maintenance program in 1964, to name the Douglas D. Schumann School of Engineering.

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In addition to the College of Business and Digital Innovation, the Riyadh branch campus plans to expand to offer degrees through a College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and a College of Arts and Applied Sciences, according to the university.

The university expects enrollment at the Riyadh campus to eventually serve more than 10,000 students, according to a press release.

Natasha Sokoloff covers K-12 and higher education news and trends across Connecticut. A southern California native and graduate of the University of Richmond, she has covered local news and public affairs in Connecticut, Virginia and internationally.