Tuck School of Business honors alumnus Zdenek Bakala

During the ceremony, Dean Matthew J. Slaughter praised Zdenek's longstanding service and support of Tuck's global community, saying, "Alongside his professional success and distinction, Zdenek is a committed philanthropist. In 2007, he and his wife, Michaela, established The Bakala Foundation, which awards scholarships for talented Czech students to study abroad at leading institutions. The couple also supports the development activities of Zdenek's alma mater, Dartmouth University. During the recent Tuck Difference campaign, the Bakalas made a transformative $25 million gift to endow the Bakala TuckGO Program, the portfolio of for-credit, immersive educational experiences that comprise our school’s global learning requirement.”

Zdenek Bakala was deeply honored to receive the award and highlighted the pivotal role of his Tuck education in shaping his life and career. He credited Tuck for inspiring his international business endeavors and charitable foundations in both the Czech Republic and the U.S., and encouraged the fresh graduates to appreciate the school's impact on their careers.

Bakala emphasized the importance of continuing to support Tuck to help the school maintain its excellence in business education: “Tuck has been the cornerstone of my journey. It inspired me to continue supporting Tuck in order to build the best base for business education in the world, which we all, I think, can agree that this school has become.”