The family of late University of Iowa benefactor and Iowa-native, Henry B. Tippie, has committed $20 million to create a state-of-the-art business education complex at the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business.

The gift will help modernize historic Gilmore Hall, which shares a green space with the John Pappajohn Business Building, located on the corner of Jefferson and Clinton Streets. A dual-purpose glass atrium will link the buildings and create a nexus for creative collaborations in the heart of the business campus.   

“This leadership gift will help us create state-of-the-art classrooms, expand faculty space to support our growing student body, and enhance student engagement,” says Amy Kristof-Brown, Henry B. Tippie dean. “It will also strengthen our role as an entrepreneurial hub and driver of economic growth, while providing much-needed event spaces to showcase our outstanding programs.”

Since the John Pappajohn Business Building opened in 1994, the fast-growing Tippie College of Business has more than doubled its number of students, far beyond what the building was designed to accommodate. Since being named a top 20 public business school by U.S. News & World Report in 2024, Tippie has added more than 500 new students. The planned expansion, including the space gained from Gilmore Hall, will add 65,000 square feet to accommodate the college’s record high number of undergraduates—and prepare for a future of continued enrollment growth.  

Expanding Pappajohn and connecting it to the redesigned Gilmore Hall will allow Iowa business students, faculty, employers, and entrepreneurs to interact in flexible classrooms, team huddle rooms, innovative learning labs, an executive boardroom, mentoring and tutoring space, and a large community gathering space. 

“The Tippie family has created a beautiful legacy that embodies the Hawkeye spirit,” says Lynette Marshall, president and chief executive officer of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. “We’re so grateful for the continued dedication to our people and these incredible spaces.” 

The Iowa Board of Regents approved the facility expansion in August 2024. 

Media contact: Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (o); 319-541-8434 (c); tom-snee@uiowa.edu