UIS College of Business and Management receives a $100,000 gift to help initiatives exploring the future of business education

A business class meets on Feb. 26, 2020, in University Hall

A $100,000 gift to the University of Illinois Springfield College of Business and Management will support the creation of several initiatives and market-relevant programs that will provide students with dynamic educational opportunities. 

The gift from Christine and Lou Friedrich will help jump-start several initiatives in finance, economics and beyond that explore the future of business education. Lou Friedrich is a life director of the University of Illinois Foundation Board of Directors, and an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in general engineering. 

“We are thrilled to be able to support the innovative initiatives of the UIS College of Business and Management,” Lou Friedrich said. 

The gift comes at a time that the College is starting projects on business and society through the creation of associated think-tanks and multiple speakers’ series, a student managed investment fund, and the incorporation of data analytics and data analytic platforms throughout the College’s core and majors. Once implemented the projects will better equip students to dive right into the business world upon graduation. 

“Scholars across disciplines in business and the humanities are increasingly recognizing that business and the economy cannot be studied in isolation from the rest of the human experience,” said Som Bhattacharya, dean of the UIS College of Business and Management. “Business and society need to be studied together so we can truly understand the process of human welfare, social progress, and the ability to achieve a more equitable society.” 

Lou Friedrich worked for Bernstein Global Wealth Management, New York, for 31 years as a principal and managing director. He also worked as vice president of finance for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co, and as deputy budget director/acting budget director for the City of New York from 1978-82. 

The UIS College of Business and Management is AACSB accredited and offers nine undergraduate and three graduate degrees, in addition to seven graduate certificates. Learn more about the College at uis.edu/cbm.