INDIANAPOLIS – Twelve donor families have made gifts of $1 million or more to Butler University since 2016 to support the construction of a new building for the Andre B. Lacy School of Business. The atrium of the new building, which was designed by CSO Architects, and is set to open in fall 2019, will be named the Founders Circle Atrium in honor of the group for their visionary investment in the future of Butler, and the lives of future generations of business students.
Enrollment in the School has grown 60 percent in the past five years, forcing half of business classes to be held outside of the school’s current home in the Holcomb Building. The new state-of-the-art business school facility, set just inside the entrance to campus near 46th Street and Sunset Avenue, will provide 110,000-square feet of new space and allow all business school classes and activities to take place within the same building. The facility will also provide space for collaboration with the business community, reflecting a culture of mutual learning where faculty, staff, and students will work alongside business community members as true partners. As a hub of collaboration, the Founders Circle Atrium will feature the Old National Bank Center for Closely Held Business, McGould Investment Room, and Innovation Commons.
“Our Founders Circle donors are visionaries who understand that a strong Butler business program is good for our students, good for our city, and good for the region,” says Steve Standifird, Dean of the Lacy School of Business. “These leaders are great friends to the Lacy School of Business and role models for our students in the way they conduct themselves in business and in life.”
The first among the Founders Circle donors were Andre and Julia Lacy, whose $25 million gift to name the School in 2016 paved the way for construction of the new facility. A portion of their transformational gift was designated to support the new building, and other donors quickly followed suit. Among the Founders Circle are six current or former members of Butler’s Board of Trustees, along with nine alumni of the Lacy School of Business.
“Sometimes buildings are just symbolic and not that much really happens inside that makes a difference. I think this building will be entirely different,” says Keith Faller, a Butler Trustee, alumnus, and Founders Circle donor. “Butler has lived up to the ‘real business’ mantra. They offer so many internship opportunities and business relationship opportunities to their students and it’s not just a one-way street. I think the Central Indiana and Indiana business communities have benefitted from this also.”
The School’s move out of the Holcomb Building into the new facility will free up space for Butler’s science programs to expand into the vacated space. As part of the University’s master plan, the Holcomb Building is set for renovation, expansion, and connection to Gallahue Hall as part of a major investment in the sciences in the coming years.
“Our Founders Circle donors led the way for a new building for the Andre B. Lacy School of Business through their generosity and commitment,” says Butler President James Danko. “We are extremely grateful for their leadership and investment in the future of Butler University.”
Andre B. Lacy School of Business Building
Founders Circle Atrium Donors
Keith MBA ’90 and Tina Burks
John ’62 and Judy Cooke
Rollie and Cheri Dick
Bill Dugan ’51
Keith ’71 MBA ’78 and Sarah Faller MBA ’90
Craig Fenneman ’71 and Mary Stover-Fenneman
Andrew Greenlee ’90
Andre and Julia Lacy and Family
Bobby and Jill Le Blanc
Kurt and Linda Mahrdt
Jatinder-Bir “Jay” ’87 and Roop Sandhu
Hershel B. Whitney ’52
About Butler University
An influx of philanthropic support has aided Butler University’s dramatic growth in recent years. Pursuant to the Butler 2020 Strategic Plan, the University and donor partners have invested in new campus facilities, academic programs, and co-curricular offerings. In the past five years, Butler has built the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts, the Sunset Avenue parking garage including a streetscape beautification project and renovated Hinkle Fieldhouse. In addition, the University partnered with American Campus Communities to build the Fairview House and Irvington House residential communities. The Andre B. Lacy School of Business will open the doors to its new 110,000 square foot home in the fall of 2019, and fundraising is underway to complete a $93 million Science Complex expansion and renovation.
Butler University is a nationally recognized comprehensive university encompassing six colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy & Health Sciences. Approximately 4,500 undergraduate and 541 graduate students are enrolled at Butler, representing 46 states and 39 countries. Ninety-five percent of Butler students will participate in some form of internship, student teaching, clinical rotation, research, or service learning by the time they graduate. Butler students have had significant success after graduation as demonstrated by the University’s 97% placement rate within six months of graduation. The University was recently listed as the No. 1 regional university in the Midwest, according to U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, in addition to being included in The Princeton Review’s annual “best colleges” guidebook.