A University of Central Florida alum is donating $50 million to the College of Business, making his donation the largest in the university’s history.
A motion to establish the Barry S. Miller College of Business passed unanimously at the UCF Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday to honor the gift.
UCF Foundation CEO Rodney Grabowski said that Miller had spent time meeting with UCF leaders to visualize the future of the business school.
“In those conversations, one thing became very clear. Barry wanted to make an investment that would be greater than a building or a name or even a program,” said Grabowski. “He wanted to make an investment that would serve as a catalyst for the future of the UCF College of Business and our students who will go on to build, lead, and transform the world.”
Miller graduated from UCF as a first-generation college student in 1995 and is the president of Voloridge Investment Management.
The donation is a multi-year investment that includes both immediate contributions and planned giving that will support faculty and students.
The philanthropic gift that held the previous record at UCF was a $40 million donation made in 2021 by Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, and her husband Dan Jewett in support of first-generation and minority students.
UCF Board of Trustees chair Alex Martins praised Miller’s donation, saying that it represented much more than a gift.
“It is a signal– a signal that UCF is delivering on its promise,” said Martins. “That we are producing graduates who lead, succeed, and choose to come back and invest in building our future.”
The university says the donation will be used towards transforming the business school into a hub and leader in technology-driven business strategy.
The donation will support a multi-phase strategy that will result in five endowed faculty chairs in financial technology, AI strategy, cyber risk and trust and disinformation. The business college also plans to establish a new master’s program in technology leadership and innovation.
