UC Foundation trustee gifts $3 million to Carl H. Lindner College of Business

Robert (Bob) L. Fealy, BUS ’73 and HON ’13, first stepped foot on the University of Cincinnati’s campus in 1969. The UC alumnus and his wife, Rose, are marking his 50 years as a Bearcat with a gift of $3 million to create The Fealy Family Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship Fund at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

The Fealy Family Endowed Chair will fuel thought leadership and experiential learning vital to empowering future entrepreneurs. This generous donation will elevate the college’s center for entrepreneurship, leveraging the impact engine of UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub and the vibrant start-up ecosystem of Cincinnati.

“Bob and Rose have long been tremendous advocates and benefactors of our university,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “Bob remembers what scholarship support did for him and has a clear view of why it’s important to invest in tomorrow and in innovation.”

The Fealys are Campaign Champions of Next, Now: The Campaign for Cincinnati. Their current gift supports the priorities of this comprehensive fundraising effort for UC and UC Health. 

Fealy has made it his personal mission to give back to his alma mater. He has done this by supporting student scholarships, world-class facilities and providing extraordinary co-op and internship opportunities for students. He currently serves on the UC Foundation Board of Trustees and the Lindner College of Business Advisory Council.

In 2017, President Pinto awarded Fealy the President’s Award for Excellence. He was honored for his dedication to UC, including the 10 months he spent as interim president of the UC Foundation. Fealy was not reimbursed for this position and personally paid for travel to Cincinnati from his Chicago home. He also received the Foundation’s 2017 Chairman’s Award for his noteworthy philanthropic work.

The retired president, chief operating officer and director of the privately held Duchossois Group, Fealy grew up on a small farm in Wilmington, Ohio, but says that he really grew up at UC. He credits his UC education, scholarship support and relationships as formative experiences.

“The university has come so far in the last 30-40 years,” Fealy said. “It’s really philanthropy that drives the lifting of our students and faculty. If there is any way I can help advance students, in the same way someone helped me, it’s a privilege.”

The endowed chair adds to the Fealys’ longtime support of the Center and the Lindner College of Business.

“Bob is the ultimate Bearcat,” said Carl H. Lindner College of Business Dean Marianne Lewis. “His transformational support energizes our dedication to empowering business problem solving through entrepreneurship research, experiential education and community engagement.”

Featured image at top: Rose and Bob Fealy. Photo/Provided.