UT McCombs department of management renamed after $25M gift. Here's who made the donation.

After a $25 million gift, the Red McCombs School of Business' department of management will now be known as the Rozanne and Billy Rosenthal Department of Management, the University of Texas has announced.

UT President Jay Hartzell surprised the Rosenthals, who donated the money, with a tower lighting in their honor Jan. 16 after a dinner with UT and McCombs officials, said Caroline Bartel, the department's chair.

The Rosenthals are "very expressive people. And so just the sheer surprise, joy, excitement — they were just beaming when they heard that news," Bartel told the American-Statesman. "It was a wonderful evening."

U.S. News and World Report ranks the management department fourth in the nation. It offers master's degrees in business administration, doctorates and undergraduate programs with majors in general management or consulting and change management, and a minor in entrepreneurship.

This is the first time an academic department in the business school will be named after benefactors.

Who are the Rosenthals?

Rozanne Rosenthal graduated from UT in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree, and Billy graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's in business administration, according to the school. The married couple has a long history of giving to the university, Bartel said.

The family is known outside of UT for its influence in the food industry and in philanthropy.

The Rosenthal family founded the Standard Meat Co. in 1935. Billy Rosenthal became the board's president in 1981, his son is now the CEO and president, and his daughter is co-president, becoming the fourth generation involved in the business, according to the company's website. Based in Dallas and Fort Worth, Standard Meat Co. is now a global supplier of custom meat portioning, cooking and packaging solutions.

Billy Rosenthal founded two other food companies ― CTI Foods in 2003, which was sold in 2010, and KPR Holdings in 1989. McCombs' Hall of Fame inducted Billy Rosenthal in 2005.

Rozanne Rosenthal founded and leads the Susan G. Komen chapter in Greater Forth Worth, a nonprofit that helps fund breast cancer research, to honor her best friend and UT roommate, who survived breast cancer four times, according to a UT news release.

Billy Rosenthal served on the advisory council for the business school, and with his wife was an early investor in UT's planned new business facility, expected to be built by 2028, Bartel said. They have also contributed to the UT athletics department and established multiple endowments in the business school, Bartel said.

The Rosenthals, who were not available for an interview, said in a UT news release that they were raised to give back to causes they believed in and to help their communities.

"The other opportunity that this gift brings is to build a relationship with this incredible family," Bartel said. "In addition to their philanthropic efforts, they have a great deal of wisdom that we're eager to learn."

What will the money be used for?

When the Rosenthals expressed an interest in making a naming gift, the department's development team prepared a presentation to demonstrate its needs and vision to transform the school "from excellent to elite," Bartel said.

Bartel said the gift will help attract top faculty members and undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, as well as have a transformational impact on research ― the "lifeblood" of the department.

"What we're most passionate about and seek to better understand is really the human element of business enterprise," Bartel said. "We're in a position now to provide unparalleled resources to our faculty that allows them to go after bigger and more consequential questions that organizations are facing and that we can help them understand."

The new state-of-the-art research made possible by the donation will not only affect scholarly work, but also students' experience. The money will also go toward experiential learning opportunities, scholarships and innovative teaching to best develop the next business leaders, Bartel said.

"We see it as unique in that it's a multiplier," she said. "It's going to impact faculty who then go on to influence so many students, organizations and communities."

The gift is also an opportunity to develop a relationship with the entire Rosenthal family, who Bartel said are great sources of wisdom and experience.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: After $25 million donation, UT McCombs department of management renamed