Billionaire Rob Hale’s Act of Generosity at University Graduation Ceremony
Rob Hale, the billionaire philanthropist, is no stranger to making it rain with cash at graduation ceremonies. At the recent commencement ceremony at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, he surprised the graduating class by gifting each of them $1,000, with one condition – they had to donate half of it to charity.
Arriving with a car full of cash on May 17th, Hale received cheers from over 1,000 graduates at the ceremony. He announced that he would be giving each graduate an envelope containing $1,000, but asked that they give back $500 to a charitable cause.
“We want to give you two gifts, the first is a gift for yourselves, and the second gift is to give back. In these challenging times, sharing, caring, and giving are more important than ever. Our community needs your generosity now more than ever,” Hale told the students.
Hale is the founder and CEO of Granite Telecommunications and also a shareholder of the Boston Celtics basketball team. Forbes estimates his wealth at $5.4 billion.
This year marks the fourth consecutive year that Hale has generously gifted cash to university graduates. Other educational institutions that have benefited from his generosity include the University of Massachusetts Boston, Roxbury Community College, and Quincy College.
Hale’s philanthropic gestures began in May 2021 when he gave $1,000 to each graduate at Quincy College and asked them to donate half of it to charity.
At the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the graduating students were unaware of Hale’s surprise visit and his monetary gift.
One student, Joshua Bernadin, shared with the media that everyone was shocked at the sudden generosity, which was followed by cheers. Bernadin mentioned that he was still undecided on how to spend his $500 but had already decided to donate the other $500 to the university theater and choir groups he had been involved with.