A University of Central Florida alumnus has committed to donating $50 million — the largest philanthropic gift in school history — to establish the Barry S. Miller College of Business.
UCF Trustees approved businessman Barry Miller’s gift as officials hailed it as transformational for the school.
“We are deeply grateful to Barry for his extraordinary belief in this university and in the impact our students make. This is a defining moment for UCF and a powerful signal of who we are and where we are going,” UCF President Alexander Cartwright said in a statement.
Miller is President of the Florida-based Voloridge Investment Management and Voloridge Health. He graduated in 1995 from UCF, becoming the first in his family to get a college degree.
“This has been something that I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years,” Miller told Trustees during Wednesday’s meeting. “This is the ultimate way for me to make that difference for others that are perhaps less fortunate with first-gen students and scholarships and things that have been near and dear to my heart throughout the years.”
Miller’s $50 million is pledged to be paid over several years, although the school could not immediately provide details Wednesday morning.
UCF Foundation CEO Rod Grabowski said Miller had been meeting with school leaders to brainstorm the future of UCF’s business school.
“In those conversations, one theme became very clear. Barry wanted to make an investment that would be greater than a building or a name or even a program. 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,” Grabowski said.
UCF plans to use the money to invest into business and technology education by paying for five endowed faculty chairs in fintech, AI strategy, cyber risk, trust and disinformation; adding a new master’s degree in technology leadership and innovation; and helping more students get access to internships, simulations and more.
