
On the Shoulders of Giants
Friday, January 24, 2025
We mourn the loss of our visionary leader and benefactor, Bob Buuck (BA'70, MBA'72), who passed away this January after a full and tremendously impactful life.
Following a successful entrepreneurial career as co-founder and CEO of American Medical Systems, Bob and his wife Gail dedicated their lives to supporting the University of Minnesota and our broader community. Over the past 30 years, Bob inspired the creation of the entrepreneurship program at the Carlson School, endowed a faculty chair in entrepreneurship, funded 100+ annual scholarships, and worked directly with faculty and students to launch courses and create student fellowships. Bob and Gail's generous early support laid the groundwork for subsequent "investments" from Gary Holmes, John & Annette Whaley, Bill & Susan Sands, Tom & Sharon Auth and hundreds of other alumni supporters.
Thank you Bob and Gail - your seed investment in our entrepreneurial program is driving significant impact:
Students across the University of Minnesota participate in small, experiential courses in which they conceive and test innovative startup concepts, receive mentoring and seed capital to push forward with their innovative ideas and learn-by-doing the process for creating a new venture. They connect with other students in our Toaster Innovation Hub and the entrepreneurial business community through our Deluxe E-ternships and Atland Ventures. These thousands of innovative entrepreneurs are becoming leaders throughout our business community by creating jobs and solving meaningful problems.
Researchers across the University of Minnesota participate in courses and workshops specifically developed to help them bring their inventions to market. Hundreds of research teams have commercialized their research to save lives and improve the quality of life around the world - all while generating revenue to fund the University.
Entrepreneurs across Minnesota make connections and accelerate their startup efforts through participation in MN Cup, Naturally MN, WE* and our Launch MN courses. Tens of thousands of entrepreneurs have utilized these programs to help drive economic growth across Minnesota.
None of this would have been possible without the generous and visionary leadership of Bob Buuck. We take great pride in striving to realize his vision and look forward to an on-campus celebration of Bob's life on March 16.
Learn more about Bob, his family and their wonderful impact on our community.