Former Milwaukee Brewers owner and Major League Baseball commissioner emeritus Bud Selig and his wife, Sue, made a $1 million donation to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center.
The gift will support the school’s entrepreneur-in-residence program, which allows successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences and insights with students.
“For decades, Bud’s leadership and innovation have inspired not only Milwaukeeans but also baseball fans and business leaders across the nation,” said Mark Mone, chancellor of UWM. “This generous gift will inspire our students to follow in his footsteps. Increasing innovation in our region and state is critical. I am so appreciative of Bud and Sue Selig for making this essential investment in UWM.”
UWM recently opened a new 24,000-square-foot building on its campus to house the center’s programs and initiatives, which have been operational for several years. The new facility includes labs, instructional spaces, collaboration areas, conference rooms, a coffee shop and campus welcome center.
The Seligs made the donation in honor of Bud’s father, Ben Selig, who Bud credits with instilling his entrepreneurial spirit. UWM awarded Selig an honorary Doctor of Business in 2013 and the Chancellor’s Innovation Award in 2015 in recognition of his leadership and entrepreneurial spirit.
“I am excited to support the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center because I believe it is essential that our young people think creatively to find solutions to the world’s problems,” Bud Selig said. “My father was a sophisticated business person who taught me to take calculated risks. Through this entrepreneur-in-residence program at UWM, his legacy as an innovative leader will live on.”
The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center building was initiated by a $10 million donation from Lubar & Co. founder Sheldon Lubar and his wife Marianne in 2015. Fiduciary Management Inc. founder Ted Kellner and his wife Mary’s family foundation, the Kelben Foundation, contributed $2 million and serial entrepreneur Jerry Jendusa gave $1 million to the center. UWM alumnus Avi Shaked and his wife Babs Waldman made a $2 million donation to support the center and provide scholarships in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.Additional gifts came from We Energies and American Family Insurance.
“The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center would not exist as it is now without the generous support of our donors,” said Brian Thompson, director of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. “The Seligs’ gift to our entrepreneur-in-residence program will give our students opportunities to learn from people who have launched new business ideas and who know what it takes to be successful. There is absolutely nothing like having a seasoned entrepreneur share his or her strategies for success. I am most grateful to Bud and Sue for extending Ben Selig’s entrepreneurial legacy to our students.”
