Harvard and Banco Santander announce letter of intent

Cambridge, Mass. — Harvard University and Banco Santander announced a letter of intent today that will enable Harvard to support master’s candidates and visiting fellows from China through participation in Banco Santander’s Marco Polo Program. Harvard will oversee the admission process, and the program will provide support for the tuition, fees, and related expenses for the selected Chinese students and fellows.

“Banco Santander has generously supported a host of other international programs at the University, and I am very pleased to see their commitment in this area continuing,” said Drew Faust, president of Harvard University and Lincoln Professor of History. “Harvard’s ties to China are broad and deep, and this partnership will only strengthen them.”

In addition to the new partnership, Banco Santander also has supported the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies and the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Harvard University to create opportunities for Chinese students through the Marco Polo Program of Banco Santander,” said Banco Santander Chairman Emilio Botín. “We look forward to welcoming the first cohort of Banco Santander Scholars at Harvard as exemplars of China’s most promising leaders of tomorrow.” 

Eligible one-year master’s programs at Harvard include: M.P.A./mid-career at the Kennedy School; Ed.M. at the Graduate School of Education; M.P.H. at the School of Public Health; LL.M. at the Law School; and M.Des.S. at the Graduate School of Design (1½-year program). Eligible one-year visiting fellowship programs include the Nieman Foundation for Journalism fellowships and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs fellowships.

“This partnership with Banco Santander’s Marco Polo Program will enable Harvard University to support some of China’s most talented young leaders in a range of fields,” said Jorge I. Domínguez, vice provost for international affairs and Antonio Madero Professor of Mexican and Latin American Politics and Economics. “Harvard already enrolls large numbers of China’s best students. This program will increase that number. This is a wonderful complement to Harvard’s engagement with China.”

About Banco Santander

Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with a presence in 10 main markets. At the end of 2009, Santander was the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and third in the world by profit.