<p>Ohio State To Get Record $100M Gift From Wexner, Limited Brands</p>
<p>By Nick Petrello & Donna Willis
Published: February 16, 2011
Updated: February 16, 2011 - 10:09 AM </p>
<p>COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee says Ohio State alumnus and trustee Leslie Wexner and the Limited Brands Foundation have committed to donating a record $100 million to the university.</p>
<p>The $100 million commitment includes $65 million from Wexner and $35 million from Limited Brands Foundation. “It’s not intended as an estate gift,” said Mr. Wexner, who is 73. "It’s not ‘I hope to leave a large gift - and live a long time.’ I’m very critical of people who make a gift like that. This is a milestone, but this isn’t the end.</p>
<p>“It’s a real gift. It’s real money.”</p>
<p>With the announcement, the Wexner family and Limited Brands Foundation have given, raised or pledged a total of nearly $200 million to Ohio State. More than half has come directly from the family.</p>
<p>The university attracted another big windfall in December, when Ohio State learned it had won a $100million federal grant to add a radiation oncology center next to its $1 billion Medical Center expansion.</p>
<p>The gift primarily will benefit The Ohio State University Medical Center and The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, according to Gee. It will also benefit Ohio States Wexner Center for the Arts and select other university initiatives.</p>
<p>“But for Ohio State, I would have never been able to go to college,” Wexner said. “I love Ohio State and all the good it does. I hope this gift stimulates those who have received an education here, or been touched by this remarkable institution, to think about how they, too, can give back.”</p>
<p>Gee said this latest gift, the largest in the university’s history, is nothing short of transformational.</p>
<p>“Through his lifes work, and this most exceptional and unprecedented gift, Les Wexner has created an enduring legacy,” said Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee. "He is an outstanding example of the transformational power of public higher education. His commitment to the University – in time, wisdom, and leadership – has been just as important as his financial generosity. And I like what he said: ‘But for Ohio State, none of this could have happened.’ I believe that, and I know Les does, too. I would ask each of us to think how our lives would be different ‘But for Ohio State.’ "</p>
<p>Gee said the Wexners’ gift will have an impact in three ways at the university:</p>
<p> By aiding OSU’s $2.5 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign: “This donation will be a propelling moment in a time of economic uncertainty.”</p>
<p> By stimulating the number of donors: “People like to be part of a winning tradition.”</p>
<p> And “he is signifying real confidence in the university, that the university is one of the most important places in the state to invest.”</p>
<p>Wexner said that the gift also symbolizes his confidence in Gee’s leadership.</p>
<p>Gee said that although he has a “longstanding and close personal friendship” with Mr. Wexner, the gift is “a true partnership gift. Sometimes, one partner is reluctant. But I have to say in this instance, their enthusiasm is of equal valor.”</p>
<p>Wexner is a 1959 graduate of Ohio State. He is in his second term on The Ohio State University Board of Trustees, where he is serving as chairman. He was also a founding member of The Ohio State University Foundation and its first chairman.</p>
<p>The university will discuss more details of the historic gift during a special event at the Ohio Union at 11 a.m. Wednesday.</p>
<p>Source: [Ohio</a> State To Get Record $100M Gift From Wexner, Limited Brands | NBC 4i](<a href=“http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/feb/16/8/wexner-makes-record-donation-ohio-state-university-ar-397517/]Ohio”>http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2011/feb/16/8/wexner-makes-record-donation-ohio-state-university-ar-397517/)</p>