Kelley School Awarded ‘Transformational’ Gift

The foundation was established by Brian Jellison

The Indiana University Kelley School of Business has received a $16 million gift from the Brian and Sheila Jellison Family Foundation. The university says the gift will support free enterprise, financial literacy and lifelong learning.

The foundation was created by IU alumnus Brian Jellison, his wife Sheila, and their three daughters before he passed away in November 2018. IU says the foundation hopes to inspire Kelley students from the start of their academic career and increase the school’s global reach.

The gift will be split among four priorities:

• $10 million will be used to create state-of-the-art studios and “virtual classrooms” under the name of the Brian D. Jellison Studio Classroom. IU says the effort will give online students the experience of being in a live classroom with their peers.
• $5.8 million will support the Brian D. Jellison Living Learning Center, a residential program that currently helps 550 freshman business students annually to “identify their strengths, interests and talents through special programs, study groups and travel opportunities.
• $100,000 will be used to create the Brian D. Jellison Financial Literacy course series, which will be offered at no cost through a partnership with edX.
• The foundation is also donating $100,000 toward scholarships for study abroad opportunities.

“This is a truly transformational gift in that it touches so many aspects of the Kelley School,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in a news release. “Naming the Kelley Living Learning Center in honor of Brian Jellison is particularly noteworthy, given that Mr. Jellison was widely recognized as an innovative and revered leader of the highest integrity. He brought great pride to IU, and his life story lives on and will serve as a reminder to all who enter the Brian D. Jellison Living Learning Center to strive to lead lives that make a meaningful difference in their organizations, communities and society.”

Brian Jellison, a native of Portland, Indiana, graduated from IU in 1968 and served as the chief executive officer of Florida-based Roper Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ROP) for 17 years. He was named one of the best performing CEOs by Harvard Business Review in 2014 and 2018.

“We felt very strongly that the first major distribution out of the foundation should go to Indiana University, because without the education that Brian received there, who knows what he could have done,” said Sheila Jellison. “Education was first and foremost to Brian. Given an education in the field you want to pursue opens all kinds of doors. You give back when you can, and IU was our first choice.”

A dedication ceremony for the Brian D. Jellison Living Learning Center will take place February 29 on the Bloomington campus.