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UNCG Receives $3.8 Million Gift For Global Information Technology Center, Art and Student Development
GREENSBORO – A $3.85 million gift from Microsoft Vice President Robert McDowell and his
wife Lissa Shelley McDowell will provide support for global information technology, the Weatherspoon Art Museum and
enhancing student reading, writing and speaking skills at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
The gift has been made through The Students First Campaign, UNCG’s $100 million capital fund drive that is currently underway. The McDowells have pledged $350,000 over the next five years. The remainder of the commitment is an estate gift.
The McDowell gift is the second multi-million dollar gift to the university.
Two million dollars of the pledge will establish the Bob and Lissa Shelley McDowell Research Center for Global Information Technology Management at the Bryan School of Business and Economics. The center will address business and society-related information technology challenges faced by companies as they expand globally.
The gift will provide $1 million to support the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Gallery 7, the museum’s largest exhibition hall, will be renamed in honor of the McDowells.
Communication Across the Curriculum, UNCG's signature program of cross-departmental academic excellence, student development and excellence in teaching, will receive $500,000 for ongoing support.
“Lissa and I are proud to give this gift to UNCG, a university that is forward-looking in its focus on the importance of technology in the business world,” said Robert McDowell. “At the same time, we were equally impressed by the university's commitment to critical communication skills. In this competitive world, no student can afford to neglect either skill set."
In announcing the gift, Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan said, “Lissa and Bob McDowell’s gift will have considerable impact on three of the campaign’s major imperatives, and ultimately a positive impact on the quality of education and research at UNCG. As a couple, they have a unique perspective ─ Lissa is an alumna who has never lost her love for this campus and Bob is a businessman operating on an international level who can appreciate the vision that is transforming UNCG.”
The McDowell gift will allow UNCG to greatly expand its information technology program by establishing the nation’s first center to investigate the international applications of information technology. “ Through the gift, experts from around the globe will gather at UNCG to explore new ways to use technology for business and scientific endeavors,” said Dr. Prashant Palvia, Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor and PhD program director in the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management at the Bryan School.
“A gift of this significance will make a national statement about the quality of our information systems management programs,” said Dr. James K. Weeks, dean of the Bryan School. “It presents a transformational opportunity for our research and instructional programs.”
McDowell delivered the keynote address during last year’s UNCG Corporate Expo, which brought together top level business leaders from across North Carolina. At that time he said, “The quality of education between the U.S. and the rest of the world is closing. We either succeed globally or we die.”
Developing the technological and writing skills students need to thrive in an ultra-competitive global business environment is critical to the future of the United States, added McDowell. “I want everyone who graduates to be technically competent.”
As vice president for Information Worker Business Value at Microsoft, Corp., McDowell travels the world to recruit the best talent for Microsoft. Before joining Microsoft, McDowell served as a partner at Ernst & Young where he founded and managed its strategic business systems practice. He has over 35 years of experience in the information technology industry and is the author of “Driving Digital,” and “In Search of Business Value: Ensuring a Return on Your Technology Investment.” McDowell holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Virginia Military Institute and a master of science degree in business administration from Boston University.
Lissa Shelley McDowell’s passion for art was kindled during her undergraduate years at UNCG where she studied advertising and design. Since graduating in 1968, she has worked as an administrator and educator at colleges and universities, as well as with the San Antonio Art Museum. An avid collector, Lissa McDowell has a gallery in their home on San Juan Island, Wash., that showcases her impressive collection.
“I am very proud of having gone to UNCG,” said McDowell. “It’s fascinating to get more involved and to learn more about what the university is doing and to see how it will help future generations. It is clear that UNCG is a valuable place to learn, and learning is the key to success.”
(Sent 3-13-07)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jill Yesko, 336-334-5371
NOTE: This release is also available online at
http://www.uncg.edu/ure/news/latest_media