Carlson School for Life: Thoughts from Assistant Dean Travis Smith

The Carlson School has staying power. The school has persevered through a dynamic century of growth and change and has established itself as a leader in business education throughout the world. This past June, we closed a multi-year philanthropic campaign that ensures the school has the resources and funding that will set a higher standard of excellence in business education and cements the school as a top-tier business school. And while we are still navigating through a pandemic, the school has innovated in ways we could not have envisioned two years ago.

These significant accomplishments would not have been possible without you—the alumni, friends, and donors who embrace “Carlson for Life.” Because of your commitment, the school remains strong and resilient through times of both success and adversity. Carlson School alumni and friends are a powerful force throughout the world. And it is crystal clear that your contributions of time, knowledge, and financial support are absolutely integral to our future success.

As we look back, we honor you, the alumni, friends, foundations, and corporate partners, who the school can rely on, year after year, to support priorities and opportunities for growth. Because of consistent annual donors, the school is positioned to emerge from challenging times in some ways stronger, more adaptable, and better able to meet the changing needs of its students, faculty, and staff.

As the numbers below demonstrate, our community not only values the continued impact the Carlson School has locally and globally, but also understands that reliable annual philanthropy is required to ensure the school has the resources to carry out its mission. I am especially grateful to the 448 donors who have made consistent annual contributions over the past 20 years, and the 293 donors who the school can count among its most loyal and generous benefactors, with consistent contributions over 30 or more years.

We are incredibly grateful for your steadfast generosity and commitment to the school. We honor your commitment by offering meaningful, lifelong engagement to the school. And hope that you think of the Carlson School as your “School for Life.”

Sincerely,

Travis Smith, ’21 MBA, Assistant Dean
Institutional Advancement