Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, has announced a $100 million gift from the estate of alumnus Marvin Mann (’54) in support of student scholarships and the university’s center for ethics.

The largest ever gift to the university from a single donor includes $95 million to endow student scholarships, an allocation that is expected to provide approximately $3.75 million annually for students entering undergraduate and graduate programs. The remaining $5 million will support the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership, which Mann established in 2008 in honor of his late wife, Frances. An endowed, university-wide unit, the center provides resources to students, faculty, staff, and Alabama nonprofits with the goal of promoting the understanding and practice of positive character and servant-leadership.

Mann, a first-generation college graduate, founded Lexmark International, Inc. in 1991, where he served as chair and CEO until 1999.

“My father occasionally told stories of hitchhiking to and from Samford during the 1950s, so he must have highly valued his experience there, especially considering the effort he had to go through to attend,” said Mann’s son, Jeff Mann. “It’s obvious that my father revered Samford University and its community. For anyone to provide a gift that represents decades of hard work, leadership, and successful investing he must have had full confidence in the leadership and future of the institution.”

“Marvin Mann’s generosity to Samford is unmatched in the institution’s history books,” said Samford University president Beck A. Taylor. “This is a truly transformational gift that will fulfill Marvin’s desire for more students to have the life-changing opportunities he had as a student and to strengthen the university for the future.”

(Photo credit: Brad Radice/Samford University)