Roberto Goizueta bequeaths
$20 million to business school
The Goizueta Business School has received a $20 million gift from the
estate of Roberto C. Goizueta, former chairman of the board and chief executive
officer of The Coca-Cola Company. The gift represents "a wonderful
and visionary challenge to the new dean and his academic colleagues. We
are grateful to the Goizueta legacy and are mindful of his uniquely successful
leadership as a businessman and of his devotion to Emory," President
Bill Chace said.
Goizueta initiated this endowment before his death with a $1.5 million
gift to the school that bears his name; a bequest in his estate planning
will complete the gift in 1998. The late businessman was a cherished friend
of the school, providing wise counsel to its leaders, participating in graduation
ceremonies and lecturing students as part of the Dean's Speaker series.
This gift will help Thomas Robertson, who officially joins the school
as dean on July 1, to propel the Goizueta School to world-class stature.
Brad Currey Jr., chairman of the board of trustees, believes Goizueta would
have been pleased with the new dean. "Tom Robertson is an internationally
recognized expert in marketing strategy and consumer behavior. He's a dual
citizen of both the U.S. and the U.K. That would have delighted Roberto."
"The legacy of Roberto Goizueta is very powerful and meaningful
as we move into the new millennium," Robertson said.
Goizueta's widow, Olga C. deGoizueta, said, "Roberto valued excellence
in education, and I'm very pleased that his legacy will be an inspiration
for business students for years to come."
The gift almost doubles the current $25 million endowment of the business
school. It will allow the school to increase the size and stature of its
faculty and provide additional fellowships and scholarships to students.
Another hope has been to increase the number of endowed chairs, which this
gift will help do.
-Jim Elliot
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