USC Marshall Overjoyed by US$6M Anonymous Gift: MBA News

By QS Contributor Updated Jun 15, 2014

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The muse behind the school’s scholarship fund

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USC Marshall School of Business has announced that it is to receive US$6 million of a US$20 million gift that has been pledged anonymously to the University of Southern California.

USC Marshall’s share of the donation will go in its entirety towards the school’s scholarship fund, named after current dean, James G. Ellis.

“This gift will pay dividends far into the future as USC Marshall graduates distinguish themselves as global leaders,” said Ellis in a press release for the school.

The James G. Ellis Endowed Scholarship Fund was originally established to provide tuition assistance for undergraduates at USC Marshall, but Ellis recently told Businessweek that he expects to expand the fund’s remit to include MBA students.

Ellis also explained that money would be available for both full and partial scholarships, adding that, “It’s a great way to end the year.”

The muse behind the school’s scholarship fund

The school’s scholarship fund was established in 2010 by USC Marshall alumnus, Tyler Muse. By the time Muse graduated in 2007, Ellis had become something of a mentor to him and so Muse wanted the scholarship fund to take his name, as a mark of respect for his commitment to students.

Muse himself has gone on to work in energy project finance, and is currently with General Electric (GE). In addition, he is also a co-founder of the Tagai Mentorship Program – a non-profit mentorship scheme that partners young professionals in New York with students from diverse backgrounds attending either the International Community High School in the Bronx or Brooklyn International High School.

The wider US$20 million donation represents a strong contribution to the University of Southern California’s long-term drive to drum up US$6 billion in private philanthropy, of which they have raised just over US$3 billion over the past three years.

The only details released about USC’s anonymous benefactors are that they are a married couple and long-time supporters of the university.

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