University of San Diego Board Chairman Don Knauss, Wife Ellie, Donate $50 Million to USD's School of Business

 SAN DIEGO, Dec. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of San Diego (USD) has received one of the largest donations in the university's history. USD Board Chairman Donald Knauss, the former CEO of Clorox, and his wife, Ellie, have generously invested more than $50 million in educating ethical and compassionate business leaders. In honor of their gift, the university's business school will be known as The Knauss School of Business.

"This is our investment in educating ethical and compassionate business leaders — leaders who enable a free enterprise system that creates wealth on a fair and equitable playing field. Without the creation of wealth, no society can take care of its most vulnerable, lift the standards of living of its citizens or make the investments needed to preserve this planet for future generations," said Don Knauss, USD Board Chairman.

Inside The Knauss School of Business (renderings and logo here): 

• The Free Enterprise Suite helps seed student startups from across the university.
• The Student Success Center unifies advising, career development,
  mentoring under one roof.
• The Busch Family Torero production studio, named through the first gift to the building project from Kim and Andy Busch, will be a state-of-the-art production studio for creating mock interviews, and other tools to help students develop their personal brand.
• The Dennis Zocco and Dan Rivetti Finance Lab, supported through the generous gift from the Kokua Na Lani Foundation, will help students develop advanced financial analysis skills.
• The Nexus Theater will be perfect for small gatherings or large events.

"We believe a values-driven education, coupled with a commitment to free enterprise, gives us the means to deliver on our vision to care for and protect society for future generations,"  said USD President James T. Harris III.

The Knauss Legacy

Don Knauss started his business career in brand management in the paper products division at Procter & Gamble. He moved on to the Frito Lay and Tropicana divisions of PepsiCo, Inc., and worked his way up to become president of Coca-Cola's Southern Africa division and then became chief executive officer of The Minute Maid Company. He later became president and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola North America, before reaching the pinnacle at The Clorox Company.

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SOURCE University of San Diego

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