Trustee and Friend of the University for Four Decades  

David McGovern – a devoted AUP Board member and founding partner of the Paris-based American law firm Shearman and Sterling – served for 40 continuous years on our Board of Trustees and received the University’s Presidential Medal of Honor in 2015. A longtime supporter of the University, he saw AUP evolve firsthand, and even served as Chairman of the Board during the tumultuous eighties. In one conversation, he proudly described his devotion to AUP, explaining, “People ask me why I care so much about AUP, and I say, it’s because education is the most important thing to me, and I like the one we offer.” 

We are deeply grateful to David McGovern for designating the University as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy. The University received this generous gift after David died in 2020, and with it created one of AUP’s very first endowed funds. David was a charter member of the Quai d’Orsay Society, leading by example as other alumni, parents, board members, and friends have followed suit.