Ronald O. Perelman Pledges $100 Million To Columbia Business School To Shape The Next Generation Of Global Business Leaders

NEW YORK, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Business School announced today that Ronald O. Perelman, Chairman and CEO of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. and a member of the School's Board of Overseers, has pledged $100 million to Columbia Business School.  The gift will be used to develop a new facility that will strengthen the School's innovations and programs that are creating the next generation of global business leaders.

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"We are grateful for Ronald O. Perelman's generosity to the University," said Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger.  "His major gift will not only benefit future generations of Columbia Business School students, but a wider University community in which a dynamic business education must play a vital role in the broader academic mission.  Our world has been changed by the global marketplace, so business schools and universities must respond with new thinking and new structures for learning about our economy and society.  The Perelman Center will be part of an interdisciplinary and environmentally sustainable urban campus that will help define Columbia's next century."

In recognition of Mr. Perelman's generosity, the Business School will name one of its two buildings on the new campus the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation.

"The business landscape is changing rapidly and dramatically, and as such the principles that define strong business leadership — such as an entrepreneurial mindset and solving complex challenges — are more important now than ever before," said Mr. Perelman.  "It is our responsibility to ensure that we are building a generation of great business leaders who drive success in an ever-changing, competitive global economy, and I believe Columbia Business School has its finger on the pulse of the changing nature of business education. I am extraordinarily pleased to pledge this gift to help them prepare the next generation of business leaders for 21st century challenges."

Perelman has been a longtime and devoted member of the Columbia Business School community, serving on its Board of Overseers since 1994.  He is an active philanthropist who believes powerful results can be achieved when financial resources are leveraged with human resolve.  Perelman has established the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center.  He serves on the boards of the New York University Langone Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, Ford's Theater, Apollo Theater Foundation, and Carnegie Hall.

"Throughout the past four decades Ronald has proven himself to be one of the most accomplished investors and philanthropists of his time. He displays the type of instinct and insight that are hallmarks of a true leader — the very same traits that we seek to instill in our students here at Columbia Business School," said Glenn Hubbard, Dean of Columbia Business School.  "The Perelman Center will allow Columbia Business School to continue pioneering breakthroughs in management education, such as moving beyond functional expertise or siloed learning and ensuring a more integrated curriculum for our students.  It will help us create the classrooms of tomorrow and foster an even greater collaborative spirit among recruiters, students, alumni, and faculty members, paving the way for a stronger network and more meaningful outcomes for our community."

Hubbard continued: "We have always had the talent, ideas, curriculum, research, and community of a stellar business school.  Soon, thanks to Ronald's generosity and that of our other donors, we will have the facilities to match.  On behalf of the students, faculty, staff, and graduates of Columbia Business School, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ronald for his generous gift."

The two new Business School buildings on the Manhattanville campus will be designed by renowned New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro and will reflect the fast-paced, high-tech, and highly social character of business in the 21st century.  The facilities will encompass more than 450,000 square feet and will offer multifunctional spaces that foster a sense of community — spaces where students, faculty members, alumni, and practitioners can gather to exchange ideas.  The Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation will be situated opposite The Henry R. Kravis Building, which is named in recognition of a generous 2010 gift made by alumnus Henry R. Kravis '69.

To learn more about Columbia Business School's multifaceted efforts to create the next generation of global business leaders, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.

About Columbia Business School
Led by Dean Glenn Hubbard, the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School is at the forefront of management education. The School's cutting-edge curriculum bridges academic theory and practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset to recognize, capture, and create 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, Masters, and PhD 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