The Board of Trustees unanimously accepted a gift of $17.1 million Tuesday, making it the largest single private gift from an individual in the history of Ball State.
The money came from the estate of late alumnus and faculty member, Wallace T. Miller, Jr.-á
As a result, the college of business will now be named the Miller College of Business. This is the first time one of the university's academic colleges will receive the name of a benefactor.
"It's just a substantial and significant gift--it's an endowment gift, which means that it can be used for the college of business," Board of Trustees President Tom DeWeese said.
"It's the largest gift we've ever received--particularly from an alum, a
professor," said DeWeese.
In a speech before the board, Brownell said that $2.1 million of the $17.1 million will go toward the establishment of the Phyllis A. Miller Professorship in health economics, in tribute of Miller's first wife.
"Miller loved economics. His affiliation with Ball State was his association with the economics department...and he started donation money to the department.," said James McClure, associate professor of economics.
"The gift has been held up over a number of years. The gift was held up by some legal difficulties," McClure said. "That's a lot of money, so it's not surprising that there was an argument about it."
The money will be used very carefully, McClure said.
"How the money will be used in the college of business will take careful
consideration,"-áMcClure said.-á "The people in the economics department are
certainly hoping that his (Miller) love of economics be reflected in the dispensation of that gift."
McClure said Miller was one of his economics students in the 1980's, and Miller showed a strong interest in the field. He even became a professor of economics on campus during the 1990's.
"If the college wanted to be consistent with Mr. Miller's passion, the reason the gift is here, then they should devote a large chunk of it to the economics department. It would be a real shame if that didn't turn out to be the case. "
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