Every day, students crossing the garden outside American University’s School of International Service will soon encounter a simple but powerful message: 

“In my life, I have seen war, destruction, and revolution. I have seen what these things bring. My hope is for our students to become the authors of peace our world so desperately needs.” 

Those words, which will be engraved at the new Mehdi Heravi Peace Plaza on campus, reflect a lifetime shaped by education, hardship, and hope. 

Now, nearly six decades after earning his doctorate from AU, AU trustee Mehdi Heravi, SIS/PhD ’67, has established his tenth endowed fund at the university, more than any other donor in AU history. Yet when asked about the milestone, he quickly shifts the focus away from himself. 

“I think people who are blessed have the duty to extend the hand to others to help bring them up,” Heravi says. “When it comes to the human race, the fundamental priority is humanity. You have to be a decent human being.” 

That belief has guided every chapter of his life. 

Born in Iran, Heravi was just nine years old when his father, renowned agricultural scholar Professor A.A. Heravi, sent him and his older brother to boarding school in England. Six years later, after persistent requests, his father agreed to let him continue his education in the United States. 

“My knowledge of America at that time was three places,” Heravi recalls with a laugh. “New York because of the buildings and the movies, Detroit because of the cars, and Hollywood because of the stars.” 

Instead, he landed in Utah. 

What initially felt like an unlikely destination became home. He graduated from Logan High School, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Utah State University, and later completed his doctorate at American University’s School of International Service. 

“I attended two universities,” Heravi says. “And my heart is with them both.” 

After graduating from AU, Heravi returned to Iran and dedicated his career to higher education, serving in senior leadership roles, including vice president and provost, at major universities. But following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he was imprisoned for 11 months for being an academic, much of that time in solitary confinement. 

If the goal of this harrowing incarceration was to diminish Heravi’s faith in education, it failed. His commitment to the civic and social ideals of university learning grew only more resolute, more adversity-tested. So, too, did his belief in philanthropy as a means to expand education’s benefits to more students. 

Heravi traces his passion for scholarships to a classmate at Logan High School. He noticed the student repeatedly skipping lunch, later learning the young man’s family simply couldn’t afford it. 

“I thought, ‘What’s the difference between me and him?’” Heravi says. “We’re both 17. We have the same needs and desires.” 

That moment stayed with him. So did the example set by his father, who was known for helping students in financial need. 

Today, scholarships remain at the heart of his giving. His tenth endowed fund brings him one step closer to a personal goal of establishing a fund in every school at AU. 

“Mehdi embodies what it means to be a trustee,” says Charlie Lydecker, SPA/BA ’85, chair of the AU Board of Trustees. “Since joining the board, he has been one of AU’s greatest champions, always asking how he can help create more opportunities for students. His generosity is extraordinary, but what stands out even more is the heart behind it. His spirit inspires everyone around him.” 

A familiar face at campus events and university initiatives, Heravi believes that showing up for students, faculty, and staff as a cheerleader and thought partner is part of a broader picture of paying it forward.  

“I want that to be my legacy,” Heravi says. “That in my lifetime, I’ve helped others achieve their goals.” 

Heravi describes his motto matter-of-factly. 

“I’m old-fashioned,” he says. “If you receive something, which I’ve received much from these two universities, I think it’s my duty to give back as much as I can.” 

That philosophy took form in real time last week when Interim President Dave Marchick launched the Summit for Scholarships for AU Students, a scholarship fundraising challenge to accompany his attempted cycle of 29,000 ft—the height of Mount Everest—in the Pyrenees mountains. 

Heravi immediately pledged a matching gift to inspire alumni and friends. Thanks to his example, the campaign raised more than $165,000 from over 230 donors to expand scholarship opportunities for AU students. 

“From the moment I shared the idea for the Summit for Scholarships with Mehdi, he was all in,” Marchick says. “His willingness to lead with a matching gift inspired others to step forward and reminded our community that every gift can help change a student’s life. I’m incredibly grateful for his friendship, his generosity, and his steadfast commitment to AU.” 

For Heravi, every scholarship, every gift, and every opportunity created for a student is another step toward the future he hopes to create. 

After a lifetime shaped by teachers, mentors, hardship, and generosity, he is ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to write their own stories and, in doing so, build a more peaceful world.