University of Delaware receives $71.5 million donation, the largest in school history

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The University of Delaware has received a $71.5 million donation, the largest in school history, to build a new business school that will include classrooms, an auditorium and an “experimental learning space,” the school announced Monday.

University alumni Robert and Kathleen Siegfried of The Siegfried Group, a public accounting firm with offices in Wilmington, Philadelphia and New Jersey, will have the new facility named after them. It will be part of UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.

“My time at UD — my incredible professors, the many unique experiences inside and outside the classroom, my vibrant network of friends and colleagues — helped to make me who I am today,” Robert Siegfried said in a statement. “To be able to share our success with the business students of tomorrow is an incredible honor. Kathy and I, and our firm, are thrilled to invest in the world-class students, faculty, staff and campus of the Lerner College and the University of Delaware.”

Plans for Siegfried Hall include research and teaching labs, a student-run café and an auditorium. Spaces for “experiential learning” within the new facility will give students access to public computing space and generative AI, as well as professional development services.

University President Dennis Assanis said the donation “positions the Lerner College among an elite group of U.S. business schools that have received this level of philanthropic investment in student success.”

“This is a transformative moment for the University of Delaware and our Lerner College of Business and Economics,” Assanis said. “The Siegfrieds’ generosity will significantly advance Lerner’s critical mission of preparing the next generation of leaders, change-makers and entrepreneurs to make an impact in the rapidly evolving world of business and economics.

The university plans to break ground on the new facility by 2029, at the earliest. The exact location of Siegfried Hall on campus will be announced later.