Campus News

Westminster Announces Funding for New Endowed Chair in Business Innovation

John and Ginger Giovale donated $2 million to create the Gore-Giovale Chair in Business Innovation

SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster College is pleased to announce the creation of the Gore-Giovale Chair in Business Innovation. John and Ginger Giovale provided $2 million to endow this position within the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business.

“Westminster is proud to continue its commitment to the innovative business legacy of Ginger Giovale’s parents, Bill and Vieve Gore, and the highly successful company they built,” said Michael Bassis, Westminster president. “We are enormously grateful to the Giovales for their longstanding commitment to the college and their unwavering support of its programs and students.”

Over the past two decades, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business has grown in both size and stature. With more than 600 undergraduates and 400 graduate students, and innovative initiatives like the Center for Financial Analysis, the Center for China-America Business Studies, the Institute for New Enterprise and renowned mentoring programs, the school is poised to reach new levels of academic excellence.

“This newly endowed chair will provide leadership for the development of a highly unique curriculum focused on innovative business practices, such as those in use at W.L. Gore and Associates,” said Dr. Jin Wang, dean of Westminster’s Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business. 

Consistent with the values and traditions of Westminster, the professor who holds the chair must be an impassioned educator who not only inspires students to learn, but challenges them to achieve their maximum potential.

“From an investment point of view, Westminster College has proven to be an excellent choice. The return is the joy in observing the excellence in teaching and learning,” said Ginger Giovale. “In our hearts John and I know this is a very special place.  We look at this endowed chair as an investment in the students who will benefit from a Westminster education in the future, just as we did many years ago.”

“Ginger and John Giovale and the Gore family have played a crucial part in Westminster’s development,” said Cid Seidelman, provost and vice president for academic affairs.  “With the creation of an endowed chair focusing on business innovation, the lessons they have learned and the ideas they have developed will have a continuing influence on Westminster students as they aspire to be successful business leaders of the future.”

The Gore-Giovale Chair in Business Innovation is one of three endowed chairs at the college.

Media Contacts:  Krista DeAngelis & Arikka Von (801) 832-2682

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow WestminsterSLC on Twitter.