Photos: AIMEE BLODGETT | UCM
Unstoppable
Students inspire alumnus to give back A MAN WHOSE FAMILY DEVELOPED much of Southwest Florida found himself inspired by USF students who had much less – but whose dreams were just as big. For many years, Barron (Barry) Gift Collier III, whose grandfather is the namesake of Collier County, has supported students at the USF
22 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Muma College of Business through scholarships. But recently, as the USF alumnus met some of the firstgeneration college students receiving his scholarship, he found himself moved by their stories of perseverance. “We hear about the American Dream being lost, and here is a program that’s doing exactly the opposite,” Collier says. “When you get to talk to the students, you see their passion and their desire and drive to get a good education, and to be able to get out there and make a difference in the world. They certainly inspire you to believe it.” Their stories inspired Collier and his wife, Dana, to give $10,850,000 to name a unit of the business school that
focuses on student success and career preparedness programs. On Aug. 27, the center was renamed the Collier Student Success Center at the USF Muma College of Business. The gift is part of the university’s $1 billion USF: Unstoppable Campaign. The Collier family has been a longtime supporter of the Muma College of Business, particularly through student scholarships and the college’s Corporate Mentor Program, which serves students who are the first in their families to attend college. A recent gift of $180,000 expanded the program so that more students could benefit from the services offered and the professional development coursework that
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LEADERSHIP GIFTS
Back row, left to right,
Alya Limayem, Muma College of Business Dean Moez Limayem, Barron (Barry) Gift Collier III, Dana Collier, Lara (Collier) Grady, Ryan Grady, USF System President Judy Genshaft, Jacri Stubbs and USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg, with former Collier scholarship recipients and, at center, Jackie Nelson, senior director of undergraduate programs at the newly named Collier Student Success Center.