Pam and Les Muma's gift of $25 million brings the couple’s total giving to $41.2 million, making them the largest individual donors in USF’s history. Photo by Aimee Blodgett
TAMPA, Fla. (October 10, 2014) – The University of South Florida announced today that it has received a $25 million gift from Pam and Les Muma, the single largest individual gift in its history, to name the College of Business. Effective immediately the college will be known as the USF Muma College of Business. The gift is part of the $1 billion USF: Unstoppable Campaign.
“This is a landmark day in the history of both the University of South Florida and the USF College of Business,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “Pam and Les Muma are truly inspirational philanthropists who love USF. I can’t think of two more deserving individuals to receive the honor of having a college named after them.”
Les Muma is a 1966 graduate of USF and the retired chairman and CEO of Fiserv, Inc. a financial industry automation products and services company he co-founded in 1984. Together with his wife, Pam, Les has a long history of philanthropic support of USF. He served as both chair of the USF Foundation Board of Directors and as chair of the first phase of the USF: Unstoppable Campaign. Today’s gift of $25 million brings the couple’s total giving to $41.2 million, making them the largest individual donors in USF’s history.
USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg said the Mumas’ gift serves as a fitting capstone to a life-long association with the University of South Florida.
“Pam and Les Muma have a deep and real passion for the University of South Florida, its students and its faculty. This transformative gift for the USF College of Business exemplifies this, and in naming the Muma College of Business, we forever recognize this legacy of support,” said Momberg.
USF College of Business Dean Moez Limayem said the Mumas’ generosity will have a significant impact on the USF College of Business. It focuses on student success, placing students on a professional development track from their first moments at USF. It also emphasizes faculty development and business community engagement.
“This gift elevates USF into the top tier of business schools, one where donors so strongly believe in the mission and vision of the business school that that they are willing to invest in it in a substantial and transformative way,” said Limayem. “Pam and Les’ investment will have a tremendous impact on the educational experience for our students. This gift will bolster faculty engagement in the business community. It will also help students become even better prepared for the workplace. Better, stronger employees make better, stronger companies, which in turn, benefits our entire region,” he said.
According to Limayem, the gift will also establish the Muma Leadership Program, designed to help place students on a professional development track from their first moments at USF. New resources will allow the college to operate the program, track student participation, and offer incentives for top participants.
Muma’s career in data processing began while he was still a student at USF majoring in mathematics. Internships at Southern Bell in Jacksonville, Florida and International Mineral and Chemical in Bartow, Florida led to his first job after graduation, one in the information technology department at IMC.
“This gift fulfills a dream of both Pam and myself, to be able to demonstrate in a meaningful way our gratitude to USF and in particular to the USF College of Business for helping us build the foundation upon which our business careers grew,” said Muma. “Further, it is our vision and belief that this gift will provide Dean Limayem and his team the resources needed to elevate the Muma College of Business to one of the preeminent business schools in the country, giving many more young students the opportunity to kick start their own successful careers.”
Pam Muma has a long history of philanthropy within the Tampa Bay area. Pam is a founding member of the USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy organization. Pam serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, is a member of the Florida Health Science Board of Directors, and is the past chairman of the board of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay.
“If it were not for the USF College of Business, Les and I would not be in a position to create this legacy at USF today,” Pam Muma said. “Besides our daughter and grandchildren, we have been educating college students for more than 30 years through scholarships at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Winter Haven High School and the University of South Florida. Our main focus on philanthropy is health and education. We have developed a special relationship with many of our students and we felt this was the time to endow the College of Business so we can continue to watch these young adults grow and evolve into responsible business leaders. We derive the pleasure of giving back as we watch the success of these extraordinary students.
The Mumas’ previous giving to USF has made a difference in several areas of the university, including the College of Business, USF Athletics, which features the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center and USF Health/Tampa General Hospital, which features the Muma Chair of Neonatology at USF Health, the Lisa Muma Weitz Cell Laboratory at USF Health and the Jennifer Leigh Muma Neo Natal Intensive Care unit at TGH.
The University of South Florida is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF is a Top 50 research university among both public and private institutions nationwide in total research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation. Serving nearly 48,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.5 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.