Experiential Learning Suite Named for Glaser Family

The Glaser family enhances their focus on student support and experiences with Connecting Carlson gift.

The Glasers have been longstanding supporters of Carlson School students. That includes a scholarship that awards $20,000 over four years to scholars. Since 2017, it’s supported eight students. Additionally, the Glaser-Mooty Undergraduate Lounge in Hanson Hall provides a place to relax, study, and recharge.

When the Connecting Carlson project is completed in 2026, it will include the remarkable suite for experiential learning. There, four Enterprise programs—Brand, Consulting, Funds, and Ventures—will share more than 5,600 square feet in a prominent location on the first floor. The programs will bring together small teams of MBA and undergraduate students who will work on client businesses’ real-world challenges. While each Enterprise program will have its own dedicated space, the suite will provide collaborative work environments and research focus group rooms.

As distinctive as the suite will be, the supporters behind it are just as noteworthy: A family with three generations of graduates from the University of Minnesota’s business school. In recognition of their financial support of the project and their long commitment to the business school and to the University, the Carlson School will name the space the Glaser Family Experiential Learning Suite.

“If you look back at our three generations of involvement, it’s pretty extensive,” Chip Glaser, ’75 BSB, says. “Our roots are very deep with the University. That’s why it was meaningful for us to make this kind of commitment to the Connecting Carlson project.” 

The family’s roots were planted by Chip Glaser’s father, Ken, who graduated from the business school in 1942. A certified public accountant, Ken went on to have a varied and successful entrepreneurial career, primarily in the automobile industry. He became board chair of National Car Rental, moving the company’s headquarters to Minnesota, and later owned a car dealership. Throughout, he maintained his connection with his alma mater, becoming a member of the business school’s Alumni Board and later serving as president of the University’s Alumni Association.

Ken Glaser died just as his son, Chip, matriculated with a degree in accounting. After receiving his degree in 1975, Chip Glaser joined Deloitte, specializing in construction and real estate. In 1983, he started his own development company, which he continues to operate. Like his father, Chip has served as national president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, a position he took on when he was just 36. He remains involved with the Minnesota Capital Campaign Steering Committee and the Intercollegiate Athletics Leadership Council. In 2014, he received the Regents Award for his extensive service and philanthropic contributions to the University. Two years later, he was given the Director’s Award from the Intercollegiate Athletics Department.

In April 2023, after serving for 18 years, he left the Carlson School Board of Advisors to focus on his work for the University of Minnesota Foundation, which he will chair starting this year. Not surprisingly, all five of Chip’s children have been awarded UMN degrees. His son, KC, earned his undergraduate degree from the Carlson School in 2005. He then began a career in marketing, primarily in the restaurant space, for companies including Dairy Queen, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Famous Dave’s. A few years ago, he shifted to consumer packaged goods, joining General Mills as senior manager for brand experience. He also earned an MBA in 2016 from the Carlson School.

Like his father and grandfather, KC has also given back to his alma mater, serving six years on the Carlson School Alumni Board. In 2020, he co-launched the Carlson School Alumni Pride Network, which offers professional connections, development, and advocacy to the school’s LGBTQ+ graduates in the Twin Cities. Chip is delighted to have his family’s name connected to the suite. “It will be something a lot of the students will be able to use,” he says. “It was our idea that funding the Experiential Learning Suite would be very beneficial.”

Having the family name attached to the suite “is super-meaningful,” KC adds. “It was instilled in me at a young age how important the University is not only to our family but also to the state of Minnesota—as a provider of talent to the businesses of the state as well as being a large employer itself. "Our family owes a lot of what we have and who we are to the University. And we want to give back.”