Before Robert E. Foss graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder聮s business school in 1971, he took many of his classes in the school聮s then-new building. Now 36 years later he and his wife will help provide a similar experience for 3,800 students at CU-Boulder聮s Leeds School of Business.
Foss and his wife, Georganne, have pledged $1 million to name the dean聮s suite in the Koelbel Building, the business school聮s newly renovated and expanded home, which is set to reopen in August.
聯I feel it's important to give back to the institutions that helped you along the way,聰 Foss said, explaining the couple聮s gift. 聯And it聮s more critical than ever that alumni support the Leeds School since we aren聮t receiving critical support from the state.聰
Dennis A. Ahlburg, dean of the Leeds School of Business, said, 聯It will be a great pleasure to see Rob and Georganne Foss聮 name on the dean聮s suite each morning as I come to work. It will serve as a reminder that the Leeds School is lucky to have generous alumni who are committed to enhancing the educational experience of our students. I look forward to working with Rob and Georganne to ensure that our students have the best possible education here at the business school.聰
Rob and Georganne met while students at CU-Boulder. Rob earned a business degree with an emphasis in accounting. Georganne quit school briefly after the couple married in 1971, but returned to CU聮s Denver campus to earn a degree in English literature in 1976.
After graduation, Rob worked in the Denver office of the accounting firm, Ernst & Ernst, which eventually became Ernst & Young. He became a partner in the firm in 1982 before transferring to the Washington, D.C., office in 1986.
In 1994, he joined Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc. (MAMSI) as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the health services company. Based in Rockville, Md., and traded on the New York Stock Exchange, MAMSI owned health maintenance organizations and provided health insurance to major corporations. UnitedHealth Group Inc. acquired the company in February 2004, and Foss retired as senior executive vice president and CFO a year later.
Foss said naming the dean聮s suite emphasizes 聯our overall interest in the Leeds School. Most of my classes were in this building when it first opened. It needs to be renewed.聰
The Foss family聮s gift, facilitated by the CU Foundation, will help fund the Leeds School聮s $38 million project to renovate the existing 100,000-square-foot building and integrate it with a 65,000-square-foot, four-story addition. The expansion and renovation will provide Leeds students with facilities befitting a leading business school.
For more information about the Leeds School of Business, visit leeds.colorado.edu/