Apr 24, 2018
This Gift Means Business: Illinois alumnus Larry Gies gives $150 million
Gies investment accelerates progress towards being the best and most innovative undergraduate business college in the country
On October 27, 2017, the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign became known as the Gies College of Business after an unprecedented investment from a distinguished alumnus. The gift will accelerate progress towards being recognized as the best and most innovative business school in the nation.
This monumental gift comes from Chicago businessman and College of Business alumnus Larry Gies (Geese) and his wife Beth. Their intent is to create an immediate and lasting impact for current and future students of the college through their $150 million investment.
“We are incredibly grateful and proud to have two successful U of I graduates reinvest in the very place where their entrepreneurial journey began. This ranks among the largest gifts to any business school in U.S. history,” said Dean Jeffrey R. Brown, College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
“This gift is the result of strong confidence in the excellence of our students, the innovative spirit of our faculty and staff, and the vision and determination to make the Gies College of Business the best undergraduate business college in the country,” Brown added.
The investment will grow and strengthen the College of Business’ key initiatives: deliver undergraduate excellence, create exceptional graduate programs, expand the boundaries of theoretical and applied business knowledge, and use technology to democratize education.
“The College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a very special place to me. It is on this campus that I developed a foundation for success. We are honored to give back to the college that gave so much to us and I hope our choice to make a decisive investment encourages others to do the same,” said Larry Gies. “This investment is, and always will be about the students here and what we can become together – the greatest business school on earth, where purposeful leaders get the tools to pursue their passion to make the world a better place. I’m truly excited for our students and the future of our College.”