Gift for mind, body, and spirit
$1.1 million donation will enhance Reitz Arena and support Sellinger students
As Jim Forbes, ’80, watched the athletic success of the Greyhounds last spring, he reflected upon his years at Loyola and how he and his wife, Hollis, could make a significant impact at Loyola, especially after seeing Ellen and Ed Hanway, ’74, chairman of Loyola’s Board of Trustees, make their $5.2 million gift to Loyola in the fall of 2011.
Forbes, a Loyola trustee, talked to Loyola President Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., Megan Gillick, vice president for advancement, and Jim Paquette, director of athletics, about how Forbes could help to foster Loyola’s mission.
Supporting his alma mater by contributing to the spirit of the campus community resonated with Forbes, who attends a few Loyola basketball and lacrosse games each year.
“I wanted to make a significant contribution because I really believe in giving back,” said Forbes, who graduated from Loyola with a degree in business administration and whose career has led him to his current position as Vice Chairman for UBS Group Americas in New York City. “My Loyola education has had a major positive impact on my career.”
Jim and Hollis Forbes decided to make a $1 million pledge to renovate and refurbish Reitz Arena, where the Greyhounds basketball and volleyball teams play, adding enhanced scoreboards and signage. The basketball court itself will ultimately be named Forbes Court in recognition of the couple’s generosity.
Because Jim and Hollis Forbes also wanted to make a difference in business education, they have pledged an additional $100,000 to support projects related to the Student Experiential Learning Lab. The training will support Sellinger School of Business and Management students in the Student Applied Portfolio class who exercise discretionary investment authority over a portion of Loyola’s endowment.
Forbes credits his Loyola education for bolstering his career success.
“I was fortunate enough that there were some excellent faculty during my time at Loyola, and they encouraged discourse and debate,” he said. “The emphasis on the core curriculum, the emphasis on communication skills, the emphasis on having what I would call a discussion in the classroom—that was really encouraged during my tenure there—all of those things resonated with me and have had a remarkable influence on me.”