Indiana University has announced a $20 million gift from alumnus David Henry Jacobs to the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.

Announced in conjunction with the launch of the public phase of the university's $2.5 billion fundraising campaign, the gift will be used to establish endowments for a deanship, faculty support, research development, scholarships, student travel, library needs, and other initiatives at the school. The majority of the gift will fund the Jacobs Family Bicentennial Scholars and Fellows in Honor of Charles H. Webb, recognizing Jacobs' lifelong friendship with emeritus dean Charles Webb and his family.

Jacobs, who attended the School of Music in the early 1970s, was the driving force behind the $40.6 million gift his mother, Barbara, made in 2005 in honor of her late husband, David H. Jacobs. A member of the board of the Indiana University Foundation since 2006 and a founding member of the Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council, Jacobs also has supported the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association; the Maurer School of Law; and the Kinsey Institute.

"Indiana University, and particularly the music school, gave me a community," said Jacobs, president of David Jacobs Fine Art and owner of Stilllife Construction. "I feel fortunate for those relationships, and it is rewarding to give back."

"I couldn't have been more honored and surprised by this recognition," said Webb. "And I was thrilled to hear that David chose student scholarships for a major part of this gift. We have students from every state and fifty countries attending the school, and many don't come with the kind of resources they need to really push their academic boundaries. These scholarships will enable these talented young musicians to truly drink in the educational knowledge available from our outstanding faculty."