A University of Chicago alum recently gave back to the Booth School of Business in a big way: Raymond Svider, a Managing Partner at international private equity firm BC Partners, presented the school with a $5 million gift, according to a press release. The money will go toward establishing the Svider Private Equity Program at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
While the Polsky Center currently runs a variety of programs in private equity, the gift will help expand what is currently offered to better suit the increased needs and demands of students and alumni for both experiential and academic private equity learning opportunities. These enhancements include:
- Expanded opportunities for students to connect with private equity insiders through additional Entrepreneur-in-Residence positions and programming.
- Enhanced networking and educational opportunities for alumni.
- Broader distribution of Chicago Booth’s thought leadership in the industry.
“Chicago Booth was an ideal complement—both academically and culturally—to my undergraduate engineering background,” Svider said. “An MBA from one of the top programs in the U.S. helped me gain access to the most attractive private equity jobs after graduation—my Booth degree was an ideal stepping stone, an entry ticket to my ideal career.”
Raymond Svider/Photo via Chicago Booth
According to Chicago Booth, the Svider Private Equity Program has three main goals:
- Increase the resources available to students and alumni pursuing private equity careers.
- Strengthen Booth’s private equity alumni community.
- Build Booth’s national and global brand as a hub for private equity education.
“Raymond’s generous gift will allow us to better support our students and alumni in the private equity space across the globe,” said Steven N. Kaplan, Faculty Director of the Polsky Center and Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at Booth. “The Svider Private Equity Program will greatly expand our ability to offer innovative hands-on and academic learning opportunities to complement the fundamentals of the classroom.”