Florida State University’s College of Business will take a monumental step in advancing its reputation as one of the top public business schools in the nation thanks to a $65 million philanthropic investment from Dr. Herbert Wertheim.
Wertheim is a billionaire optometrist, inventor, businessman, philanthropist and the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated (BPI), the world’s largest manufacturer of optical tints. He is renowned for his extensive philanthropic and leadership efforts, particularly in public education, health, and the arts, as chairman of his Family’s Foundation.
Wertheim’s commitment includes financial support to endow and name the college the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and rename Legacy Hall, the college’s world-class new building, the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. His investment is the largest philanthropic endowment gift in FSU’s history and the second-largest philanthropic gift FSU has ever received.
“My belief in the transformative power of education and healthcare inspires me every day, and I am truly excited to partner with Florida State University to help lift the College of Business to new heights,” Wertheim said. “Together, we will empower students and future leaders to drive meaningful progress, advance innovation in healthcare and business, and create lasting opportunities that benefit our communities and the world.”
“My belief in the transformative power of education and healthcare inspires me every day, and I am truly excited to partner with Florida State University to help lift the College of Business to new heights. Together, we will empower students and future leaders to drive meaningful progress, advance innovation in healthcare and business, and create lasting opportunities that benefit our communities and the world.” — Dr. Herbert Wertheim
Significantly, Wertheim’s remarkable investment comes as the college moves into its new facility, located just south of the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, and celebrates its 75th anniversary as a separate academic unit. Also, college officials expect a record 10,000 students for the spring semester.
“We are extremely grateful and humbled by the incredible generosity of Dr. Wertheim,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This transformational philanthropic investment will propel the college forward and empower generations of future leaders in the global marketplace.”
In addition to naming the college, the philanthropic investment creates several endowed funds to support various initiatives within the college, including faculty development, Horatio Alger scholarships and other scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, student professional development opportunities, funding to support preeminence and emerging trends, and a new Wertheim Business of Healthcare Initiative.
The Wertheim Business of Healthcare Initiative will train business students to fill critical gaps in the healthcare business workforce and work with leaders in the healthcare industry to solve its most vexing problems.
Wertheim’s investment establishes two endowed chairs: the Herbert Wertheim Chair in Health Systems Operations and the Herbert Wertheim Chair in Healthcare Workforce Leadership. These chairs will support faculty members whose scholarship and teaching are dedicated to the continuous improvement of healthcare operations and systems, as well as workforce modernization in healthcare settings. These efforts align with the university’s bold new FSU Health initiative and its emphasis on healthcare in academic programs, research, and investment, including the Wertheim College’s new MBA major in healthcare administration and its annual Business of Healthcare Summit.
“This initiative will train business students to fill critical gaps in the healthcare business workforce and work with leaders in the healthcare industry and government to tackle pressing healthcare issues now representing more than 17% and $4.5 trillion dollars of the U.S. economy,” Dr. Wertheim said.
Part of the total philanthropic investment will name the college’s new facility, which stands as the largest academic building in FSU’s history. The Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence will host its first classes in January, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for January 6.
“Generations from now, we will point to this monumental investment as profoundly pivotal in both the trajectory and impact of the college,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. “We will continue to generate innovative research and equip graduates to lead in the global marketplace, knowing this infusion of new financial support will allow us to strengthen our best work while also launching important new initiatives.”
Dr. Wertheim’s $65 million catalytic philanthropic investment is part of $431 million in investments made by the state, private donors, corporations and foundations that will allow the Wertheim College, university and the FSU Health initiative to pursue excellence at the highest level and inspire future philanthropic investments from other donors.
The Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence will serve as lasting tributes to the stature and business prominence of Dr. Wertheim.
Wertheim’s transformative contributions have led to the establishment of seven additional named academic institutions in Florida and California: the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences and Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts at Florida International University; the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology at the University of Florida; the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego; and the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of California Berkeley.
A self-made Horatio Alger recipient and Forbes 400 billionaire, Dr. Wertheim holds the conviction that education serves as a means of dismantling societal obstacles, thereby enhancing the overall well-being of the community and humanity. His gifts and benefactions create formal and informal opportunities for the local and global community that help address some of the most pressing healthcare challenges facing society today.
Born into a working-class family, Dr. Wertheim overcame early academic challenges and pursued an education in optometry and optical engineering, driven by a passion for science and an innate curiosity.
In 1971, Dr. Wertheim founded Brain Power Incorporated (BPI), a pioneering company in optical color tints, chemicals and scientific instruments and materials, which has played a critical role in the advancement of eye health for more than 50 years. He is the first doctor to indicate and promote the danger of UV light to the eye and to prescribe his breakthrough invention of UV light absorbers for lenses that has prevented millions from potential diseases and blindness.
FSU board OKs College of Business naming after $65M gift
- Florida State University's College of Business is being named after philanthropist Herbert Wertheim following a $65 million gift.
- The donation is the largest philanthropic endowment gift in the university's history.
- The new business school building, formerly known as Legacy Hall, will also be named after Wertheim.
As the College of Business and Legacy Hall – a $160 million project – will be named after Wertheim, it comes after the university completed the business school’s new building a few months ago and will open it up to the FSU community for use in the spring.
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