USF's School of Business & Professional Studies Announces Endowed Chair

Adobe Systems Co-founder Dr. Charles M. Geschke Accepts Inaugural Chair

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of San Francisco (USF) School of Business and Professional Studies is pleased to announce that Dr. Charles M. Geschke, co-founder of Adobe Systems, has been named the inaugural Reverend P. Carlo Rossi, S.J. Chair in Entrepreneurship.

The Chair honors the memory of the Rev. P. Carlo Rossi, S.J., the uncle of USF alumni C. Alan Wall, M.D. and the late Robert Wall, M.D. Father Rossi became an important figure in the boys' upbringing after their father died when they were very young. This endowed chair was funded through gifts from C. Alan Wall, Robert Wall and their families and friends, and is a statement of gratitude for the role Father Rossi and the University of San Francisco played in their lives. Father Rossi was a long-time member of the California Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

"We are immensely grateful to the Wall family for their generosity and commitment to the Father Rossi Chair in Entrepreneurship," said Mike Duffy, dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies. "The family's gift ensures excellence in teaching and research for our students today and the future."

Upon discussing the details of the new chair, Duffy remarked, "We couldn't be more honored to name Dr. Charles Geschke as the first Rossi Chair in Entrepreneurship. Dr. Geschke is not only a successful inventor, innovator, entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist, he is also a man of sincere faith. He will serve as a mentor for our students and faculty -- illustrating that high achievement in business and in society stems from a solid foundation of faith and ethics."

As the Rossi Chair, Dr. Geschke will serve as a guest lecturer in undergraduate, graduate and executive business classes. Geschke previously served as chairman of the USF Board of Trustees.

The creation of the inaugural Reverend P. Carlo Rossi, S.J. Chair in Entrepreneurship will be formally announced Saturday, March 13, at a dinner and reception on the USF campus.

Through endowed chairs, USF students have the opportunity to study under prominent experts whose insights, research and scholarly endeavors, provide students with new areas of knowledge to influence their lives and professional careers.

About USF

Established in 1855, USF is San Francisco's oldest university and is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country. The University of San Francisco is committed to being a premier Jesuit Catholic, urban university with a global perspective that educates leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world. With nearly 8,800 enrolled, the university offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed as persons and professionals, and the values and sensitivity necessary to be men and women for others.

SOURCE University of San Francisco