Anonymous donor makes $50M commitment to KU School of Business; largest gift in school history

LAWRENCE — A hefty anonymous donation is expected to transform business education and research at the KU School of Business, said Paige Fields, noting the $50 million commitment will also provide funds to advance key initiatives supporting undergraduate student success.

Paige Fields, dean, KU School of Business

“This transformative gift supports the School of Business’ ongoing commitment to excellence in research and student success,” said Fields, dean of the University of Kansas’ School of Business. “It will allow our school to further invest in our current mission-driven initiatives, to pursue aspirational objectives and to identify future opportunities, ensuring we continue delivering relevant, innovative business education.”

Click here to learn more about the KU School of Business.

The newly endowed fund will provide critical resources for several of the school’s priorities, including improving the quality and quantity of scholarly output by providing support for faculty professorships and fellowships, the university said.

As the school experiences record growth in student enrollment, the gift also is expected bolster student success priorities including the school’s recently revamped entrepreneurship programs; career-focused opportunities within the school’s EY Professionalism Program; and scholarship, retention and programmatic efforts among diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), study abroad and academic enrichment programs.

The donor made the gift in honor of the school’s accomplishments both throughout its history and in recent years following its strategic planning process, which began during the 2017-2018 academic year. 

KU students headed to classes at Capitol Federal Hall; photo courtesy of the University of Kansas

Under the plan, the School of Business has launched certificate programs; reviewed and updated its undergraduate curriculum; created more flexible undergraduate admissions policies; introduced a master’s degree in business analytics; enhanced research incentives for tenure-track faculty; and built out previously unfinished spaces in Capitol Federal Hall to accommodate growth in the school, among other initiatives.

By making the newly announced gift, the donor expressed a strong belief in the school’s future and a desire to help propel its stature, according to the university.

“While a gift of this size is certainly newsworthy, it’s what this gift will enable that is truly worth noting,” said Dan Martin, president of the KU Endowment. “The impact of such a sizable gift will have a ripple effect that extends well beyond this current moment in time. We are honored and humbled by the donor’s choice to invest in the School of Business and look forward to sharing future success stories that will be written because of their generosity.”

KU’s School of Business partnered with Startland News this spring at Capital Federal Hall for a separate “entrepreneurial lunch and learn” series that brought Kansas City startup founders to campus to provide students with real-world experiences and stories — from conversations on funding and market validation to entrepreneurs detailing how they went from working in someone else’s startup to founding their own.

The partnership is set to return to KU’s Lawrence campus in October.

Check out a brief photo gallery from previous Startland News sessions at KU below.