Michigan-based Lear Corp. and its employees are giving more than $1.5 million to the Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business to help construct the Business College Pavilion.
The announcement comes after Lear, through the Lear Corp. Charitable Foundation, pledged a 5-to-1 match for every dollar any Lear employee gave to the building project. To date, 101 employees have made a contribution.
To commemorate Lear’s generosity, the college will name the Pavilion lobby Lear Corp. Lobby which will welcome the thousands of visitors to the state-of-the-art business facility, set to break ground in the coming year.
“Lear Corporation’s unwavering support for the Broad College of Business has made an indelible impact on our community and across the entire university,” said Sanjay Gupta, Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean of the college. “This is the most important endeavor the college has undertaken in the last 50 years and it is made possible by our invaluable partnerships. Lear’s name is forever linked to the success of future generations of Spartans and the impact they will have on the world of business.”
Broad College alums Jason Cardew, a Lear vice president, and Ray Scott, Lear executive vice president and president for seating, worked collaboratively with college leaders to build awareness for the pavilion and to maximize the impact Lear will have on business students and the university. Lear’s history of giving to MSU is reflected in the current named career management space, located in the college’s Eppley Center.
“Lear Corporation has a long history of partnering with Michigan State University. Many MSU graduates today have key roles at Lear, many more have benefitted from the Lear Career Management Center, and we are now proud to be investing in the future of the Eli Broad College of Business with a $1.5 million contribution to the new world-class Business College Pavilion,” said Mel Stephens, Lear vice president for investor relations and corporate communications.
The Business Pavilion will feature flexible classrooms, team rooms and open collaboration spaces, serve as the new center for career management, and reflect the innovation and creative mindset the college encourages throughout its curriculum.
“We are grateful for the partnership of Lear Corporation and their commitment to our students,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “As we build this new facility, together we are ensuring that future Spartans will have an active learning experience that prepares them to continue to be leaders and innovators in business.”
To date, more than $23 million has been given toward a $60 million fundraising goal for the pavilion project through MSU’s Empower Extraordinary capital campaign.