In late 2000, as part of Georgia State's $75 million RESULTS campaign, an "old friend" of the University and the Robinson College of Business stepped forward.
That "old friend" had changed names, but had never changed its philanthropic bent, nor its desire to support education, not its respect for the work being done at GSU and the Robinson College.
That "old friend," once known as C&S, C&S/Sovran Corporation, then NationsBank, was back…and back in a very big way.
On October 30, 2000, Bank of America announced that it would contribute $1 million to Georgia State with $850,000 going to the Robinson College.
It was the latest chapter in a relationship that has gone back to the 1960s when the bank first provided support to the College's Department of Finance. Then in 1992 it later donated to the University the historic Citizens & Southern Bank building at 35 Broad Street (which is now the headquarters of the College) and the Commerce Club Building at 34 Broad Street (recently named the Bennett A. Brown Building in honor of the former CEO of C&S and later C&S/Sovran Corporation.)
The new $1 million gift will go to a new set of initiatives that is already helping students and will provide additional visibility for the College and its programs.
A portion of the gift has already been used in support of the Helen M. Aderhold Learning Center, a new University facility that opened in August 2002 and is used extensively for business school classes. The building includes state of the art classrooms and a computer laboratory.
Other funds are earmarked for the Bank of America Scholars program. These scholarships will benefit Robinson students – particularly women and underrepresented graduate business students who show potential as business leaders through their academic and professional achievements.
Lastly, $250,000 of the endowment will be used to create a Bank of America Lecture Series in International Trade, Finance and Economics. This portion of the gift will be matched by the College. The series is intended to bring to Atlanta and Georgia State University the nations' top expert speakers from the areas of trade, finance and economics.
In making the presentation to the University, Gene Godbold, president of Bank of America Georgia said, "Bank of America firmly believes in the quality education being provided at Georgia State University. We are especially pleased that part of our $1 million gift will be used to provide financial assistance to women and those underrepresented in graduate schools. Inclusive meritocracy is one of our core values at Bank of America, and this grant will help educate and bring more diversity and talent into the business world."
The ties that bind Georgia State, the Robinson College and Bank of America go even deeper than the financial contributions made by the bank over the years. Several top executives from Bank of America are graduates of Robinson, including President Ken Lewis and former Georgia President Jim Lientz. Lewis is also a member of the College's Business Hall of Fame.
