o
Georgetown University Law Center Medical Center Athletics
Homecoming 2007: Sept. 27-30

 
Law Alumni
Medical Alumni
Schools & Groups
HOYAS UNLIMITED
Parents & Friends

Home > News > Michael Chasen (G'95)

Michael Chasen

Alumnus No Longer in Class, but Has Impact on Many Campuses

Like many alumni of the McDonough School of Business, after graduation Michael Chasen's (G'95) hard work translated to big success. However, unlike Chasen's classmates - whose success may go unnoticed by the average university student - Chasen's company is well-known to academics and students at universities across the country. In just eight years, Blackboard Inc. has helped regularize electronic education, enhancing interaction outside the classroom and allowing interdisciplinary tools to be used in an organized, efficient manner.

Chasen attended undergraduate school at American University, where he majored in computer science and fell in love with Washington, D.C. Fifteen years later, he's still here. "I actually had my mind set on getting a business degree at a fairly young age," Chasen says. "I had an idea that I wanted to run a computer company, and I figured I would need an undergraduate degree in computers, an MBA to understand how to run a successful business and a law degree to manage the complex legal issues of running a company. I left law school half way through to start Blackboard Inc."

Chasen and his college friend and soon-to-be partner, Matthew Pittinsky, launched their operation in the basement of a Washington brownstone. Although the pair originally brought in a CEO with practical experience, they decided that "we were the ones with the vision, the drive, the passion and we needed to be the ones to turn our ideas into a reality," says Chasen, who is currently president and CEO. Together the pair built a twelve-man organization into an international company employing 800 people and providing over 3,700 academic institutions around the world with Blackboard's services.

Staying in Washington, where political and technological communities thrive, was important in choosing a place for his education as well as his business. However, it was the entrepreneurial focus of the Georgetown MBA that first attracted him to the Hilltop. "Entrepreneurship was my favorite class. It really helped guide my thinking on everything from market research, to financing and strategic planning," Chasen says. "Classes and case studies taught us to focus not just on the key items at hand, but the underlying issues that might be influencing the situation."

Chasen has made an effort to give back to the Georgetown community. "Once or twice a year, I participate as a guest speaker for entrepreneurship classes at Georgetown at both the undergrad and graduate level," he says. "I enjoy being able to share what I've learned from my experience with other students and stay connected to Georgetown."

A longer version of this story originally appeared in an issue of McDonough Business magazine.

Register
Find my username
Find my password
Get a transcript
Set up e-mail forwarding
Contact alumni
Request access for faculty or staff









Georgetown University Alumni Association Box 571253 Washington, DC 20057-1253 Contact Us Help