Michael E. Moritz’s $30 million gift to the Ohio State College of Law may be the largest gift ever from an individual, but it is not the first. Many people have shown their love and support of OSU through donations to the university.
On November 15, 1993, Max M. Fisher donated $20 million to support OSU’s College of Business. The money helped fund construction of the buildings on north campus named the Max M. Fisher College of Business in honor of the gift.
Leslie H. Wexner’s $25 million gift was used to create the Fisher Council on Global Trade and Technology.
The purpose of the council is to bring world-class experts to OSU for lectures, seminars, research and to provide students with experiences in global trade and technology. Wexner is a 1959 graduate of OSU.
Columbus real estate developer, Richard J. Solove, showed his support of the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute by donating $20 million to the hospital in January 1999.
According to a press release in January 1999, Solove wanted to be remembered more for contributing to the eradication of cancer than for anything else. Solove has supported OSU’s cancer program for more than 40 years.
The cancer hospital opened in 1990 after years of lobbying, planning and preparation by Solove and his long time friend, Arthur G. James, M.D. It was officially renamed the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, to honor Solove and his donation.
The donation also went to support the “Threshold of Discovery” campaign to raise $50 million for human cancer genetics research at the hospital.
The Schottenstein Center was named for late Columbus businessman and founder of Schottenstein Stores Corporation, Jerome Schottenstein, when his family donated $12.5 million used in the construction of the building.
In March, The Davis Foundation, representing William H. Davis, Dorothy M. Davis and William, C. Davis, gave $10 million to the newly opened facility for the study of heart and lung disease.
The center was named The Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute in honor of Dorothy Davis, a lifelong supporter of OSU. The Heart and Lung Institute is the third building on campus to bear the Davis name in recognition of the family’s generosity and support.
Although the ground hasn’t’ t been broken on the building to house the new School of Architecture, Austin E. Knowlton presented the school with $10 million in October 1994 to finance the project. The school will be named The Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture in recognition of his gift.
In June, Elizabeth “Libby” Ross, a 1940 graduate of OSU, gave a generous $10 million gift to the proposed world-class heart hospital at OSU Medical Center. The facility will be named the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital in memory of her late husband.
The Ross Heart Hospital will be connected to the recently opened Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. These facilities will provide a comprehensive heart center, a concept unique in Central Ohio and unparalleled in the United States, according to an OSU press release.
