1991

JOHN ENGLER

Former Governor of Michigan

ELI BROAD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

I met Eli Broad during my first month in office as the governor of Michigan. On the face of it, Eli and I didn’t have a lot in common. We grew up a generation apart, Eli in the center of Detroit, I in rural Michigan. Eli had dedicated his life to being an entrepreneur, and I had gone into government right after college.

We did have one important thing in common, however, and that was Michigan State University (MSU). We knew the education MSU provided laid the foundation for our careers. We couldn’t have done it without Michigan State.

So I was thrilled to be in East Lansing when Eli and Edye Broad visited in February 1991. The Broads were there to share some big news: they would endow Michigan State’s College of Business and create a graduate school with a $20 million gift. At the time, it was one of the biggest single gifts Michigan State had ever received. Since then, the Broads have donated $100 million—more than any donor to MSU—and their support has inspired others to give, including their friends Edward and Julie Minskoff.

The amount of their gift wasn’t the only exciting thing, though. Instead, it was the vision Eli set out for Michigan State’s business programs that remains a North Star today: MSU would rise in national and global rankings, fund more scholarships to attract even more highly qualified students, connect students to mentors, and encourage language and overseas study. Eli felt that diversity, global experience, and mentorship would prepare Spartans to lead in the twenty-first century.

As a result of Eli and Edye’s support, the Eli Broad College of Business has stayed true to Eli’s vision and achieved nationwide recognition for it. Broad College has climbed to rank among the top fifteen public undergraduate programs, according to U.S. News and World Report. The graduate school, which did not exist before the Broads’ gift, is ranked in the top ten for its Executive MBA program among public universities. Together, the Broad business programs have raised the university’s profile nationally and globally and cultivated a proud alumni community.

There was another goal Eli set out that day in 1991 that is especially meaningful today. He saw the unique opportunity for Michigan State’s business school to teach students how to incorporate their values into their careers. Though he moved to Los Angeles in 1963 and became a leading entrepreneur, Eli never lost the Midwestern emphasis on hard work, thrift, and service. With our economy on the cusp of dramatic change—due to automation, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence, to name only a few factors—values and ethics in business are more important than ever. Our students would do well, and do well for our economy, to follow in Eli’s footsteps.