Marquette alum Lemonis donates $15M for 'Student Success'
MILWAUKEE - Marquette University alum Marcus Lemonis and his wife have donated $15 million to create the Lemonis Center for Student Success on campus, President Michael R. Lovell announced Saturday at the men's basketball game against Butler.
The Lemonis Center for Student Success will provide wraparound services for students across all majors, academic abilities, and backgrounds to enrich and expand student opportunities — a primary objective in the university’s Time to Rise fundraising campaign, a release said.
Lemonis is a 1995 Marquette alumnus of the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, and he competed in the javelin on the Track & Field team from 1991 to 1995. He is the star of HGTV’s The Renovator, CNBC’s The Profit and chairman and CEO of Camping World.
Rendering of the Lemonis Center for Student Success on Marquette's campus
In his Presidential Address last year, President Lovell announced the university’s new Student Success Initiative as a top strategic priority. Lemonis has generously stepped forward to enhance and scale Marquette’s efforts to drive this priority forward in the most visible way possible. In recognition of this leadership gift, Marquette will rename Memorial Library to the Lemonis Center for Student Success and house the new center in the highly visible, centrally located space on West Wisconsin Avenue and 13th Street.
"It is always important for Bobbi and me to create a clear path to success for every individual, no matter where they are from or what they are studying," Lemonis said. "As an alumnus who got the most out of my experience, it was paramount for me to highlight the things that worked and to strengthen the things that could get better. This initial gift is the start of building the road for others."
"This gift is life-changing as it will help all students succeed and thrive on campus," President Lovell said. "We are incredibly grateful to Marcus and Bobbi for their leadership and passion to help Marquette become a national leader and rise in new and innovative ways."
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