Last modified: Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Indiana University naming nation’s first school of philanthropy in honor of Lilly family
Lilly family's generations of generosity will be celebrated April 9 at inauguration led by IU President Michael A. McRobbie
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS -- The nation's first school of philanthropy will now carry a name long associated with extraordinary generosity in America: Lilly. It will be named the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at an inauguration ceremony this afternoon on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus.
"The Lilly family is one of the great philanthropic families in America, and their impact in Indiana, and especially on Indiana University, through their extraordinary generosity across six generations has been immense," said Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie. "By allowing IU to name the school in their honor, the Lilly family honors Indiana University through recognition of their profound contributions to education, research and the well-being of society. And it is particularly appropriate that their name should be associated with America's first school of philanthropy internationally recognized for its pioneering and path-breaking work in this field."
McRobbie will lead today's ceremony, which also will include comments from other university and campus leaders as well as Irene Lilly McCutchen and a keynote address from Emmett Carson, leader of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The formal naming of the schools is subject to the approval of the IU Board of Trustees at its meeting Thursday.
The Lilly family and Lilly Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation that the family established 75 years ago, have played a seminal role in the creation and growth of the School of Philanthropy and the field of philanthropic studies. Lilly Endowment made the initial planning grants that launched the school's predecessor, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, more than 25 years ago and has provided substantial support throughout its history.
In 2006, the endowment made one of the largest gifts ever given to Indiana University when it gave $40 million to the center to support the education and training of new generations of leaders for philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. In all, Lilly Endowment has given the school and the former center more than $80 million to improve philanthropy. The center also received a gift of approximately $10 million from Ruth Lilly to establish the Ruth Lilly Professorship program, which helps recruit and retain outstanding faculty by providing matching funds to inspire and encourage other donors to establish endowed faculty chairs at the school.
"The Lilly family's name is synonymous with philanthropy in Indiana and around the world," said Gene Tempel, founding dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. "We are pleased that the school's name will honor their philanthropic leadership, and we thank Lilly Endowment and the Lilly family for their generous support of the School of Philanthropy and of Indiana University."
Indiana University founded the field of philanthropic studies and established the nation's first bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in that field. It created the nation's first endowed chair in philanthropy and now has six endowed chairs dedicated to increasing understanding and improving the practice of philanthropy. Many of its faculty members are considered by their peers to be the top experts in their fields.
The IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy also will seek to take full advantage of Indiana University's expertise and resources in the study and management of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, Tempel said. The school will continue to engage with a wide range of current and new partners in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington and IUPUI and at other IU schools and campuses.
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has provided training for nonprofit professionals and volunteers in more than 40 countries through The Fund Raising School. It is home to the Women's Philanthropy Institute and the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the nation's leading resources for research and information on women's philanthropy and the relationship between religion and philanthropy.
"The Lilly family for many years has had a close relationship with Indiana University," said Irene Lilly McCutchen, daughter of J.K. Lilly III. "We are especially pleased that the university has seen fit to honor in such a wonderful way the 'excellent business' of philanthropy, which has been a hallmark of our family through the generations. May the work of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy accomplish with great enthusiasm and excellence its vision to inspire many individuals and organizations to achieve positive, lasting change in the world."
Groundbreaking research conducted by faculty and staff at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy helps nonprofit organizations and donors accomplish their important missions more effectively. Its landmark ongoing research includes the "Bank of America Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy," "Women Give," "Giving USA: the Annual Yearbook of Philanthropy" (with Giving USA Foundation), and the nation's largest and most comprehensive study of giving and volunteerism among the same 8,000 families over time and across generations.
"Civic engagement and philanthropy are at the heart of IUPUI's mission," said IU Executive Vice President and IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz. "The IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, with its outstanding reputation for excellence and innovative programs, will attract the best and brightest students and faculty from across Indiana and around the globe to IUPUI and to careers in philanthropy. We are grateful for the tremendous confidence the Lilly family and Lilly Endowment have demonstrated in the School of Philanthropy. They have enabled our campus to become a beacon for studying and improving philanthropy for generations to come."
Civil War veteran and chemist Col. Eli Lilly, founder of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., inspired the family's philanthropic tradition. In 1937, Col. Lilly's son J.K. Lilly and J.K.'s sons, Eli Lilly and J.K. Lilly Jr., established Lilly Endowment Inc., a private family foundation, with gifts of stock in their company. The endowment today is one of the nation's largest foundations. In keeping with the founders' wishes, Lilly Endowment exists to support the causes of community development, education and religion. Though it has a national and international impact and reputation, the endowment has a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state. The generosity of the Lilly family has enabled Lilly Endowment to fund grants totaling nearly $8 billion during its 75-year history.
"The endowment's founders had both an extraordinary desire to give and a thoughtfulness about how best to direct their philanthropy," said N. Clay Robbins, president and CEO of Lilly Endowment. "This is exemplified in Eli Lilly's advice in 1939 to his daughter Evie when he encouraged her to give part of her allowance to 'worthwhile charitable and educational objects.' He said: 'This sounds easy, but the catch is that it takes lots of time and study to know what objects of that nature are worthwhile and what are not.' We are confident the mission and programs of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy to improve the practice of philanthropy would resonate with the endowment's founders."
Since its founding in 1937, Lilly Endowment has supported Indiana University in a variety of other ways in addition to the School of Philanthropy, including foundational and transformational funding for the IU School of Medicine's Indiana Genomics Initiative, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Jacobs School of Music, Kelley School of Business, the Maurer School of Law, the School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana Pervasive Computing Research Initiative, the Physician Scientist Initiative, and many other IU schools and initiatives. In all, Lilly Endowment has had an impact of approximately $750 million on Indiana University.
Besides the support Lilly Endowment has provided Indiana University, gifts from members of the Lilly family also have had an enduring impact. J.K. Lilly Jr. gave more than 20,000 rare books to establish the Lilly Library on the Bloomington campus, which The New York Times reported as "the single most important library of its kind ever given to an American educational institution." His daughter, Ruth Lilly, made gifts to the School of Philanthropy, the Herron School of Art and Design, the IUPUI Library and the Medical Library and endowed the Ruth Lilly University Dean of University Libraries and a faculty chair in poetry. Eli Lilly and his wife Ruth gave IU two properties in Indianapolis, Lilly House and Cedar Crest, which serve as official residences of university leaders.
J.K. Lilly Jr.'s son, J.K. Lilly III, supported Indiana University as well (he also established Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts, which is well known as a premier attraction for visitors to Cape Cod). The sons and daughters of J.K. Lilly III continue the family tradition of philanthropy. The Lilly Family has given nearly $30 million in personal gifts to Indiana University.
Media are invited to the inauguration ceremony, which will be held at 4 p.m. today at the IUPUI Campus Center Theater (on the lower level), 420 University Blvd. in Indianapolis. At 3:45 p.m. there will be an additional opportunity for photos during a signing ceremony for the agreement naming the School for the Lilly family.
The inauguration ceremony will be livestreamed at broadcast.iu.edu. The event can be followed on Twitter via #IUSOPlilly.
About Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change in the world. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and the Women's Philanthropy Institute.
