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B. Thomas Golisano Philanthropy

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Ave Maria University Receives $4 Million Donation
to Fund Construction of Tom Golisano Field House

B. Thomas Golisano Donation to Fund the Creation of University's First Indoor Athletic Facility

ribboncuttingTom Golisano announces $4 million donation to Ave Maria for sports complex (Naples News 11.5.2009)

Official Groundbreaking for Golisano Field House (Ave Maria Herald 2.16.2010)

Golisano Field House Taking Shape (Naples News 7.30.2010)

Grand Opening of the Tom Golisano Field House (11.20.2010)

The Golisano Field House Officially Opens! Photos & Video (Ave Maria News 11.24.2010)

AVE MARIA, Fla. - (November 5, 2009) Ave Maria University (AMU) Chancellor, Thomas S. Monaghan, announced today that AMU has received a four million dollar donation from Mr. B. Thomas Golisano to fund the construction of the University’s first indoor athletic facility, the Tom Golisano Field House.

“On behalf of the entire AMU community, we are extremely grateful to Mr. Golisano for his tremendous generosity,” Monaghan said.  “Any donation of this magnitude is obviously extremely significant, but given what this gift enables us to do as a university, it is particularly meaningful at this time in our development.”

Following Monaghan’s announcement, Golisano explained the reasons behind his decision to make this personal donation.

 

“I am pleased to contribute to this exciting new endeavor at Ave Maria University,” said Golisano. “The new field house will be an integral part of the University’s future growth and vitality. Athletic programs, sport teams, wellness activities and clubs help to round out the college experience for students and their families and more importantly, keep young minds engaged and healthy.”

“The initial priorities for the campus facilities focused on the university’s spiritual and academic components,” Monaghan continued. “Upon the completion of these facilities and our newest mega-dorm this past summer, with our current and projected growth, this field house has been our number one priority.  The entire University community is humbled and quite frankly ecstatic over this contribution.  The Tom Golisano Field House will provide an incredible venue for furthering the physical development of our athletes, as well as a space for general student recreation."

The Tom Golisano Field House will be located just north of the Bob Thomas Student Union and construction, upon receipt of county permitting, is expected to begin in January 2010. Its current design calls for the field house to provide spectator seating for approximately 1,000 people, a court area for basketball or volleyball, locker rooms with shower facilities for home and visiting teams, coaches’ offices, and a training and weight room; there is also space in the field house designated as an additional storage facility. 

B. Thomas Golisano Biography

B. Thomas Golisano is the founder and Chairman of Paychex, Inc., a leader in the payroll and human resource industry. Paychex was established in 1971 and today serves more than a half million businesses nationwide. Golisano served as President and Chief Executive Officer until 2004.

Golisano also owns the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, is a Trustee of Rochester Institute of Technology and is the founder of the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation.

Golisano has been recognized for his many entrepreneurial, civic, and philanthropic achievements and endeavors. His philanthropic contributions to various charitable organizations have been approximately $130 million.

He has served on boards of numerous non-profit organizations and has been a strong advocate for the reduction of substance abuse and teen pregnancy. He is the former chairman of Greater Rochester Fights Back (a coalition to combat illegal drugs and alcohol abuse) and served on the executive committee of Prevention Partners, a Rochester coalition to combat illegal drugs and alcohol abuse.

Golisano and Paychex have consistently been recognized by the business, financial and national media. He was listed among the FORBES top 10 bosses in the U.S. for three consecutive years; the annual ranking is based on chief executives who provide the best balance between their compensation and shareholder return.

Golisano was awarded the Catholic Family Center's 2005 CFC Award for his many contributions to human service organizations throughout greater Rochester. The Association of Fundraising Professionals also named Outstanding Philanthropist in 2004.

In 1985, with an initial gift of $90,000, he launched his first philanthropic endeavor by establishing the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation. Today, with gross assets of $28.2 million, the Foundation awards grants to organizations dedicated to providing opportunities for those with developmental disabilities and offering support to their families.

Golisano is the founding sponsor and has been the major underwriter of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting for five years. The CGI convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges in education, poverty, health and the environment.

A native of Irondequoit, NY, a suburb of Rochester, he is a graduate of the State University of New York at Alfred.

For more information on Golisano see www.golisanofoundation.org
For more information on Monaghan see www.avemaria.edu/monaghan

About Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University (AMU) was founded in 1998 as Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Mich., to provide a liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition. In 2002 the college relocated to a temporary campus in Naples, Fla., and added graduate level programs, as it became Ave Maria University. In 2007 the university relocated to its permanent campus in Ave Maria, Fla.  Founded on the principles of the apostolic document Ex Corde Ecclesiae, Ave Maria University is dedicated to the advancement of human culture, the promotion of dialogue between faith and reason, the formation of men and women in the intellectual and moral virtues of the Catholic faith, and the development of professional and pre-professional programs in response to local and societal needs. The university has attracted students from 49 states and more than 25 foreign countries.

11.05.2009