In October 2024, Dean Francesca Cornelli, the Donald P. Jacobs Chair of Finance, announced a $600 million fundraising initiative to transform Kellogg, preparing the school to lead now and for years to come. As she put it, “Together we will not only witness the future — we will create it!”
Since the Full Circle Campaign kicked off, giving from Kellogg alumni and friends is moving us forward and helping to fulfill our vision. Already, we have raised $243 million. The centerpiece of the campaign is a new building to replace the Allen Center. On May 14, we hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking that united Kellogg and Northwestern University leaders, alumni and donors in unveiling this project to the world. It was an unforgettable moment that showcased the spirit and power of the Kellogg network as well as our ambition to do big things.
We are also raising funds for students — to help them come to Kellogg and to enrich their experiences while they are here. With the cost of education rising, scholarships have become even more important to enroll students with exceptional experiences and backgrounds, like military veterans. So far, we have raised over $6 million in support of scholarships for military veterans.
Kellogg also recently launched the Matt Caldwell Veterans Program to enrich the experiences of our veteran students, building upon the scholarship funding we’ve recently raised from generous alumni. Named after Matt Caldwell ’10 JD, MBA, who served with distinction in the U.S. Army and is currently president and CEO of the National Hockey League’s two-time Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers, the initiative will provide mentoring and engagement opportunities as well as create the Kellogg Veterans Council.
It is also important that Kellogg remain at the top of global business schools in terms of curriculum and teaching. As technology reshapes all aspects of business, Kellogg is designing new courses that give our students insight into how AI and machine learning are impacting industry, preparing them to lead in a rapidly changing environment. Gifts of all sizes are making it possible for our faculty to respond to a fluid marketplace.
Research is at the heart of Kellogg — fueling curricula, helping to solve global business dilemmas, and inventing new ways to approach opportunities. Funding for research has never been more important — or more in need. Kellogg faculty are producing groundbreaking research that affects all business and societal sectors.
In early 2025, we announced the Northwestern Innovation Institute (NI Institute) with a $25 million gift from University Trustee Pin Ni and the Future Wanxiang Foundation. With an ambitious goal of comprehending how innovation works, the NI Institute, using artificial intelligence, will analyze datasets that include licenses, patents, publications and grants from universities across the globe to promote breakthroughs and release untapped potential that could transform markets and the human experience. Dashun Wang, chair of technology and a professor of management and organizations at Kellogg, will serve as faculty director of the NI Institute.
In our next campaign update, we’ll share some of the other amazing research that will come from Kellogg thanks to the generous support of our donors. We’re so grateful for those of you who have joined this bold endeavor, but there is more that can be done to secure the future of Kellogg. Please consider making a gift and help Kellogg keep our full circle approach to improving business and society around the world!