Alumnus Henry R. Kravis Makes $100 Million Gift to Establish Columbia Business School Campus in Manhattanville

NEW YORK, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Business School announced today that alumnus Henry R. Kravis '69, co-founder, co-chairman and co-CEO of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. ("KKR"), a leading global investment firm, pledged  $100 million to Columbia Business School. The gift is the largest in the School's history.

The gift will be used to support the construction of the Business School's new facilities, which are part of Columbia's long-term campus plan on several blocks of the old Manhattanville manufacturing zone. One of the Business School's two new buildings will be named The Henry R. Kravis Building in recognition of Mr. Kravis' generosity.

"Through his longtime engagement with Columbia Business School, Henry Kravis has a deep appreciation for the future opportunities made possible for our students and faculty at a new home in Manhattanville," said Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger.  "The new facility will achieve the expansion of physical space that's needed to support the growing breadth and complexity of scholarship at the School, reflecting the degree to which decisions about business and finance affect virtually every facet of modern life. Henry's exceptional generosity moves us much closer to the goal of linking advances in knowledge at the Business School to other disciplines across the university, as well as to the wider circle of entrepreneurs in our local community and global companies that make New York City a capital of our economy."

The new campus will help broaden Columbia Business School's various community engagement programs, such as Columbia Community Business Program, which provides guidance and support to entrepreneurs in West Harlem, as well as several student-run programs that focus on community outreach. These initiatives complement Mr. Kravis' work in founding and heading the New York City Investment Fund, which is designed to create jobs and help sustain small inner-city businesses in New York.

"We're not just constructing a building; we are building a community of entrepreneurs. I hope the new facilities will be a place that fuels the most innovative thinking and a place where the entrepreneurial spirit thrives. Idealism, energy and knowledge are fertile ground for social entrepreneurship. Innovation and entrepreneurship at the business school will encourage and support innovation and entrepreneurship in the community," noted Mr. Kravis.

To read Henry Kravis' bio, visit: http://www.kkr.com/team/theteam.cfm. To view a video recording of Henry Kravis' extended comments about the importance of the gift, visit: http://www.gsb.columbia.edu/alumni/support-school/campaign/manhattanville/kravis.

Mr. Kravis, a pioneer of the private equity industry, co-founded Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. ("KKR") in 1976. For over thirty years, Henry Kravis, along with KKR co-founder George Roberts, has led the firm in its growth into a leading global investment firm. Mr. Kravis serves on the board of the Council of Foreign Relations, is a Vice Chair for Rockefeller University's Board of Trustees and Co-chair of Columbia Business School's Board of Overseers, amongst other civic responsibilities beyond his work for the New York City Investment Fund. Mr. Kravis has previously given substantial financial support to various Columbia Business School initiatives, including Columbia CaseWorks, the Meyer Feldberg Distinguished Fellowship Program, and multiple endowed professorships.

"The manner in which business schools have generated ideas and talent has changed considerably across generations," explained Dean Glenn Hubbard of Columbia Business School. "Business leaders are faced with more challenging and complex decisions than ever before, and given less time and less complete information to make them. Our new home in Manhattanville will reflect the way business is conducted in the 21st century. Further, it allows student, alumni and neighboring communities to collaborate and develop new ideas that not only transform business practice, but also reinforce the potential for the application of business principles to solve multifaceted problems and improve the world in which we live."

The Business School's new buildings will encompass approximately 450,000 square feet, replacing 280,000 square feet of outdated facilities and resulting in a net additional 170,000 square feet. The search for an architect is currently in progress.  

The Business School will join the university's interdisciplinary Mind Brain Behavior Initiative, to be housed in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, among the first residents of the open, environmentally sustainable campus in the onetime industrial area.  The campus will include public green space, easy access from the neighborhood to the Harlem Piers waterfront park, and new retail, dining and cultural spaces that will attract and support small business and pedestrian traffic in the area. Future planned residents in the campus project include Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and School of the Arts.

About Columbia Business School

Led by Dean R. Glenn Hubbard, the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School is at the forefront of management education for a rapidly changing world. The school's cutting-edge curriculum bridges academic theory and practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset to recognize and capture opportunity in a competitive business environment. Beyond academic rigor and teaching excellence, the school offers programs that are designed to give students practical experience making decisions in real-world environments. The school offers MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) degrees, as well as non-degree Executive Education programs. For more information, visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.

About Columbia University

A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia's extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations, and community partnerships help define the University's underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King's College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

SOURCE Columbia Business School