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Home News Two major gifts. Two new schools.

May 13, 2019

Two major gifts. Two new schools.

CLEVELAND, May 13, 2019 — The John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business at John Carroll University has received two significant naming gifts, part of its ongoing $25 million Inspired Lives campaign.

A gift from Sue and Bill Donnelly (1984 and 1983 Marketing and Accountancy graduates of John Carroll) establishes the Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation.

A gift from Christine M. and Richard J. Kramer (1986 Accountancy graduates of John Carroll) establishes the Kramer School of Accountancy and Information Sciences.

Inspired Lives Campaign

“I like to say that there has never been a more exciting time to be in business — but apply that thought to senior management and you could also say that there has never been a more risk-laden or challenging time to be in business,” said Alan Miciak, Ph.D. Dean of the Boler College of Business. “The Inspired Lives campaign speaks to prospective students and business leaders alike. It says that our Jesuit tradition, a nearly 500-year practice of asking “what is the right way?” has both resonance and relevance.”

The Kramer School of Accountancy and Information Sciences will strengthen John Carroll’s reputation as a leader and innovator in accounting education. With an expanded emphasis on information science and data analytics, Kramer School Accountancy and Information Sciences graduates will be highly competitive in a fast changing and dynamic profession.

The Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation will leverage new and established centers of excellence and faculty expertise in leadership, ethics, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. Donnelly School Leadership and Social Innovation students will graduate as ethical leaders capable of meeting the increasingly complex demands for creating sustainable value across all industries and organizations.

“The vision for what the Boler College can achieve with new schools and programs will have a powerful impact on how we teach and prepare our students for careers in business,” said John Carroll University President Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D.

Bloomberg Businessweek Ranked #1

The Inspired Lives campaign will launch new undergraduate programs in Wealth Management; master’s programs in Innovation and Leadership; as well as update classrooms and technology, including state-of-the-art facilities: a Capital Markets Lab and a Data Analytics Lab. Both will serve faculty and students — from across John Carroll University — as they develop analytical and computational skills and knowledge, a foundation in a data-driven society. The labs will expose students to insights and tools that they will make them job ready.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2016 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” Employer Survey (recruiters at 600 companies) ranked the Boler College of Business #1 in the nation for how well we prepare students for careers at their companies.

About William P. and Susan C. Donnelly

Bill Donnelly (1983, B.S.B.A, Accountancy) and Sue Donnelly (1984, B.S. in Marketing) have been active, vocal and generous supporters of John Carroll University.

“We’re very happy to be involved,” said Mr. Donnelly. “Sue and I feel that every student should have the opportunity for a quality education.”

Bill Donnelly is the former executive vice president of METTLER TOLEDO, a global leader in the Life Science tools market. He joined METTLER TOLEDO in 1997. Previously, Mr. Donnelly held various management positions with Elsag Bailey and Price Waterhouse.

He joined the JCU Board of Directors in 2011, was elected vice chair in May 2018 and will become chairman later this year. He currently serves as the chair of the Advancement Committee. Sue has served on the John Carroll’s Chicago Alumni Chapter Board for many years. The Donnelly’s have four children, including their son, Connaught, a JCU Class of 2010 graduate, and their daughter, Grace, who is a member of JCU’s Class of 2016.

Bill and Sue established an endowed scholarship fund to support the Social Innovation Fellows and to give future John Carroll students the opportunity to pursue their academic, service, and professional goals through the Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation.

About Richard and Chris Kramer

Richard Kramer (1986, B.S.B.A, Accountancy) and Chris Kramer (1986, B.S.B.A, Accountancy) have been active, vocal and generous supporters of John Carroll University.

“In 1982, we began a relationship with John Carroll University that continues today. Because of the habits, interests, and abilities we developed during our four years, our education didn’t end at graduation. Thanks to the lessons learned, the bonds developed, and the inquisitive spirit nurtured both in and outside of the classroom, we’ve become learners forever,” said Mr. Kramer. “While JCU provides its students with an outstanding education, it does more. It plants the seeds for personal growth in the lifetime beyond. In the spirit of the Jesuit traditions, when you graduate from John Carroll, you don’t leave; you are sent … ready to grow as an engaged citizen.”

Richard Kramer is chairman, chief executive officer, and president, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and has been a member of the JCU Board of Directors since 2011 Prior to joining Goodyear, he was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chris Kramer, also a CPA, has served on several reunion committees and helped to establish the Akron Alumni Chapter, and the Alumni Travel Program. The couple was awarded the 2018 Alumni medal by the JCU Alumni Association, and they both served as co-chairs of JCU’s most recent $100 million Forever Carroll Campaign which concluded in 2016. The Kramer’s have four children, including their son Max who is a graduate of the class of 2014.

Both Rich and Chris are deeply engaged in the Northeast Ohio community. Rich has been involved in the Akron community through his leadership roles with the Akron Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Akron Community Foundation and Akron Tomorrow.  He served as president of the Rubber Manufacturers’ Association and the executive committee of the National Association of Manufacturers.  He is currently on the board of directors at The Sherwin-Williams Company, a member of the executive committee of the National Association of Manufacturers, a member of The Business Council, and a member of the Cleveland Clinic Board of Directors. In addition to her service to John Carroll, Chris is on the board at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens and is a board member of The First Tee of Cleveland and serves on The Blossom Committee of the Cleveland Orchestra.

About Boler College of Business

The Boler College of Business seeks to inspire next-generation business leaders, who will create game-changing assets and enduring value for Northeast Ohio and the nation. Boler ranked #1 in the nation in Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2016 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” Employer Survey (recruiters at 600 companies) for preparing graduates for careers. Boler’s accountancy program ranks among the top ten in the nation, and #1 in Ohio for CPA exam pass rates. Boler alumni include more than 500 business owners, chief executives and presidents in Ohio alone.

History

The John Carroll University Department of Business Administration, begun in 1935, officially became the School of Business in 1957. In 1996, the University College honored the generosity of John ’56 and Mary Jo Boler by renaming the school the John M. and Mary Jo Boler School of Business until a $10 million gift from the Boler Family Foundation established the College. The Boler Company, founded by John Boler, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of truck suspensions and other vital components for the transportation industry.

AACSB Accreditation

The Boler College of Business belongs to a small group of global business schools — less than 5 percent — that hold Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation at the undergraduate and graduate levels while also maintaining an independent AACSB Accountancy accreditation.

Growth and Global Reach

Growth in the Boler College of Business in the last two decades includes creation of several endowed chairs (Entrepreneurship, International Business, Business Ethics), the Edward M. Muldoon Center for Entrepreneurship, the Donnelly School of Leadership and Social Innovation and the Kramer School of Accountancy and Information Sciences.

Today, the Boler College of Business is part of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), a national organization that links 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and some 188 Jesuit institutions of higher learning throughout the world.

About John Carroll University

John Carroll University, founded in 1886 as Saint Ignatius College, is located in University Heights, Ohio, in suburban Cleveland. The University’s Jesuit Catholic mission inspires our nearly 4,000 students to excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and the world. John Carroll University is recognized nationally for an exceptional four-year graduation rate, teaching excellence, and a commitment to living a faith that does justice as central to its mission. John Carroll is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.

For the 25th consecutive year, John Carroll University ranks among the top 10 universities in the Midwest that grant master’s degrees, according to the 2014 “Best Colleges” edition of U.S. News & World Report. The University is ranked #1 for its “Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and #5 in “Great Schools, Great Prices.”

Our graduation rates significantly exceed national averages. 99% of 2011 graduates responding to the “First Destination Survey” are either employed full-time, part-time, attending graduate school, or fulfilling a commitment to a year of service.

Eighteen John Carroll graduates have received Fulbright scholarships since 1995.

More than a dozen students are employed in a unique John Carroll program at the Cleveland Clinic each summer as paid chemistry, biology, and psychology interns and researchers.

John Carroll University has been selected as a Presidential Award Finalist for the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning, and civic engagement. John Carroll is one of only 14 colleges and universities nationwide to receive recognition as a finalist, and has been named to the honor roll, overall, for six consecutive years.

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Click here for more information: http://boler.jcu.edu/
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Contact:
Michael Scanlan
216.397.1596
mscanlan@jcu.edu