Topfer Chair

The Morton L. Topfer Chair was created by the most generous gift of Morton L. Topfer in 2000 of $2.5 million dollars. This Endowed and Distinguished Chair operates in the field of management with emphasis in technology management.

Morton L. Topfer was a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist. Dr. Topfer pursued graduate level studies in physics at Polytechnic and was awarded an honorary Doctor in Engineering degree in 2002.

1937-2023

Morton L. Topfer was a Co-Founder and has been a Managing Director of Castletop Capital since the company was founded in 2000. Before Castletop, he worked at Dell Inc. where he served as Vice Chairman from 1994 to 2002. During Topfer’s tenure at Dell the market capitalization of the company went from $800 Million to $110 Billion. Prior to his tenure at Dell, Mort spent 23 years with Motorola, where he held multiple senior executive positions spanning the full range of Motorola's global business. Prior to Motorola, Topfer spent 11 years at RCA Laboratories in various research and development and management positions, during which time he wrote a book on thick-film electronics. Topfer served as a Director and Chairman of Measurement Specialties, Inc. (MEAS) and also served as a board member of several private companies including OpenPeak Inc. (OpenPeak.com). In 1996, Topfer was conferred the Darjah Johan Negeri Penang State Award by the Governor of Penang for his contributions to the development of the electronics industry in Malaysia. Topfer served as the Chairman of the Topfer Family Foundation since he founded the non-profit organization in 2000. 

During the second half of the 1990s, New York City experienced an unparalleled boom in broadly defined technology and financial services intensive sectors of the economy. Major business arenas are being transformed by the onslaught of technology and financial services enabled innovation. The industries profoundly affected by this development include such New York City stalwarts and global positioning for financial services, publishing, entertainment and media, retailing, communications and professional services.

Practically, New York City has been lagging relative to other parts of the US to nurture, maintain and develop high-tech educational and research infrastructure to support the burgeoning New York-based and global activity of local firms. Such programs are critical for the continued growth and development of New York as a technology and financial services intensive region. These programs are key sources of human capital and ideas and attract talented and energetic professionals, new business plans and new technology.

The Morton L. Topfer Chair Mission is to contribute to the development of excellence in education and research in New York by establishing a world-class center in technology and financial management.

To meet the Morton L. Topfer Chair challenge, inter-disciplinarity embedded in NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s engineering, management departments and talents will be sought and applied to respond to the opportunities and needs that the Chair was created for.