The University of 蜜柚直播 Honors College has received a $25 million gift, adding to the school鈥檚 $1 billion dollar endowment.
The W.A. Franke Honors College, formerly known as the UA Honors College, was announced during a campus event Saturday morning. The college is named after William A. Franke, who donated the gift along with his wife Carolyn and the rest of the Franke Family.
鈥淓ven though they are not alumni of UA, Bill and Carolyn are great friends of UA,鈥 said Robert Robbins, the president of UA. 鈥淭hey and their family have been actively involved in our institution for many years.鈥
Franke is the co-founder and managing partner of Indigo Partners LLC. He also established the W.A. Franke College of Business at NAU, along with other philanthropic ventures.
鈥淲hen I grew up, philanthropy was not an opportunity, it was an obligation,鈥 Franke said. 鈥淲e are particularly focused on helping students who have backgrounds that make it more difficult from them to obtain education.鈥
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Franke鈥檚 gift will help fund scholarship programs, support for study abroad, stipends to help with the cost of living in the Honors Village and other initiatives that will enhance the student experience, Robbins said. The gift will also establish an endowed chair for the college鈥檚 dean and a new Honors Faculty Academy.
鈥淭his is a gift that will have an immediate impact in enduring the transformation of the honors experience here at UA,鈥 Robbins said.
The $25 million gift was a 鈥減retty significant donation鈥, according to Liz Warren-Pederson, who works for the University and Alumni Development Program. The biggest gift UA has received is $50 million.
UA is among the 6% of public four-year universities with an endowment topping $1 billion.
The university brought in a record $345.2 million worth of gifts and commitments and $68.3 million in cash donations to endowed funds during the 2020-21 academic year.
