$1.32 million in recent gifts help Purdue Fort Wayne’s Doermer School of Business continue transformation

A lot can happen over the span of four months. Granted, in this age of the 24-hour news cycle, an observation like that hasn’t been mistaken for a true revelation since the turn of the century – and exactly which century is open for debate – but waves of positive news can generate strong momentum. For example, since Nov. 20, gifts totaling $1.32 million have been pledged to further the success and growth of the Doermer School of Business at Purdue University Fort Wayne and its students. 

Recent commitments from four different sources included:

• Doermer Family Foundation – $800,000
• English-Bonter-Mitchell Foundation – $300,000
• Max and Janet Laudeman – $150,000
• Edward M. & Mary McCrea Wilson Foundation – $70,000

The university announced Tuesday that money from the first three gifts will help fund a total renovation of the Doermer School of Business Building’s second floor. The project has an expected completion date of August 2026. It will allow for the addition of 10 classrooms and the relocation of all Doermer School of Business faculty and staff from other locations across campus. The Laudeman donation has also been earmarked to fund a matching gift campaign.

For their part, students in the Doermer School of Business are working hard to earn this support. Since 2020, Doermer School of Business 4-, 5-, and 6-year graduation rates for its undergraduates have outpaced the rest of the university. The sustained level of success has led to a 13% increase in undergraduate business degrees awarded during the same time frame. To date, over the past five academic years, more than 1,000 students have received either an undergraduate or graduate degree from the Doermer School of Business.   

“Helping students access excellence in education has always been an area of priority for the foundation,” said Kathy Callen, president, Doermer Family Foundation. "To that end, the Doermer Distinguished Scholars Program was created in 2006 to provide funding to qualified students in need so they can experience the quality education offered by the Doermer School of Business. We are pleased to join the other benefactors whose generous support makes it possible for this exciting expansion to take place.”  

Equally important to the Doermer School of Business Building’s refreshed spaces are the academic opportunities they will house. Also announced Tuesday are plans to add a banking center on the first floor. The idea is to offer an upscale area where students will benefit from a combination of faculty expertise and industry experience shared by leaders of northeast Indiana’s banking community.

Development of the banking center has already received a big boost from the Wilson Foundation’s $70,000 gift, which was pledged in early January. A construction timeline has yet to be established, but when completed, the center will resemble a larger, multiroom space across the building’s main common area that will soon become the permanent home of a new innovative design and entrepreneurship nexus. That project is being developed in partnership with PFW’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science.

“In our broad vision, the term ‘nexus’ captures our role as a central hub for uniting students, faculty, and professionals through interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated theory and practice,” said Nodir Adilov, dean of the Doermer School of Business. “This is critical for encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship, and improvements in business practices. The banking center will rely on the same principle, emphasizing student learning, financial industry collaboration, and community impact.”

Adilov, a professor of economics and longstanding member of the university’s faculty, was introduced as the business school’s new dean Dec. 19 after serving in the same capacity on an interim basis since July.

Even before the nexus opens, which could be as early as the upcoming fall semester, a new class called Entrepreneurship and Innovative Design offered for the first time in January was surprisingly packed with students who had only learned of its existence in mid-December after the course was added to PFW’s academic catalog. Chadi Braish, executive director of continuing studies and a primary architect of the class’s creation, believed that they’d be fortunate to get 25 students during its inaugural semester. The number ended up being 34.

The business school’s pace of progress remains quick. Other recent drivers of that growth include three options to support students who are interested in the business of healthcare. A new healthcare administration concentration that’s part of an existing management major, and a minor in healthcare decision making, which is available to students from any major, were announced Oct. 26. That was followed on Nov. 28 with the introduction of a new healthcare MBA.

“None of this would be possible without the exceptional generosity of our donors, the strong commitment to academic achievement championed by our faculty and staff, and the dedication of our students to reach higher,” said Ron Elsenbaumer, chancellor, Purdue University Fort Wayne. “These are prime examples of what can be accomplished when we move forward together.” 

The Doermer School of Business first achieved accredited status from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for its Bachelor of Science in Business and MBA degrees in 1988.

“This is the highest level of accreditation a business school can earn,” said Braish. “Only 6% in the world have achieved it. Our peers are institutions such as the University of Michigan, Purdue University West Lafayette, and Indiana University Bloomington.”

Officially, the full name of the school is the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, and the structure located at 3000 E. Coliseum Blvd. on PFW’s South Campus is the Richard T. Doermer School of Business Building. The university purchased the building in 2019, aided by a combined donation of $2.8 million from the Doermer Family Foundation, the Purdue Fort Wayne Foundation, and two anonymous donors.

Richard T. Doermer, a Fort Wayne business leader, community supporter, and philanthropist, died in 2010 after a long career in the banking industry. He believed that a solid education in all facets of business was vital to succeeding. “Partnerships between business schools and local businesses are extremely beneficial to both parties,” he once said. “Students get firsthand knowledge in a ‘real-world’ setting, and the hosting business knows if it hires those students, the money will have been well spent.”

More than 1,000 PFW students are working toward business degrees during the current academic year. For a full list of majors and minors, visit the university’s program finder.  

For additional information, contact Geoff Thomas at [email protected] or 260-437-7657 (mobile).