The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and the UMKC Foundation are pleased to announce a $32 million gift from Henry W. Bloch -- the largest outright gift in UMKC's history and among the top 24 largest in 2011 according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The gift will fund a state-of-the-art building to house the Henry W. Bloch School of Management's (Bloch School's) graduate and executive programs. The facility is expected to open in fall 2013.
"We are extremely grateful to Henry for his years of support of the Bloch School of Management," said Leo E. Morton, UMKC chancellor. "Henry understands the importance of education and entrepreneurship, and he is helping the school position itself uniquely for Kansas City's future."
Henry Bloch has been a lifelong advocate of education and began supporting the UMKC School of Business and Public Administration when he endowed the school in 1986.
"I chose to make this significant gift because now is the right time," Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block and benefactor of the Bloch School, said. "I stand behind Chancellor Morton's and Dean Tan's purposeful vision for the Bloch School and have already seen them execute successful strategic initiatives that will propel the school toward national and international renown. The new mission and vision of the school both respect and directly tie into the legacy of Kansas City and align with what this community wants and needs from its business school."
Bloch cites the success of the Bloch School's Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as another reason for his gift. Today, the Princeton Review recognized the Bloch School's undergraduate and graduate programs among the top 25 entrepreneurship programs in the country. Only 11 schools nationwide have both undergraduate and graduate programs included in this ranking.
"The new building will be dedicated to our graduate studies such as Executive Education, E-Scholars (the school's Entrepreneurship Scholar program), MBA, EMBA, MSC Accounting, MPA, EMPA, Master of Finance and our Master of Entrepreneurial Real Estate program," said Teng-Kee Tan, dean of the Bloch School. "We researched top innovative workspaces across the country -- including at Google, Proctor and Gamble, IDEO and various design schools -- for ideas on how to create a one-of-a-kind space."
A unique feature of the building will be its purpose-built, design-led innovation laboratory space architecture. It will allow students to conduct entrepreneurial and innovation studies with brainstorming, simulation, concept-making, prototyping, and proof-of-concept design studios and flexible classrooms for participative and collaborative team learning.
"Henry is an iconic leader whose presence and vision have guided this city for decades," said Chancellor Morton at an announcement event on the UMKC campus last evening. "When we speak of Kansas City's entrepreneurial legacy, Henry's name is the one that immediately comes to mind. UMKC has been the beneficiary of Henry's leadership and generosity for years. We treasure his involvement and counsel greatly, and take great pride in stewarding his legacy through the school that will forever bear his name." | 
