Alumni couple donates $6 million for Robins School of Business addition

November 16, 2007

The Robins School of Business has received a $6 million gift from an alumni couple to be used toward construction of the new Robins School of Business building, complemented by new programs and curricular enhancements focusing on finance.  

Paul B. Queally and Anne-Marie Flinn Queally of New Canaan, Conn., both 1986 Phi Beta Kappa graduates of Richmond, made the contribution through their Paul and Anne-Marie Queally Family Foundation. The Queallys are long-time benefactors of the university, having supported several major projects and programs including the Gottwald Center for the Sciences, athletics and an endowed faculty chair.

The 33,000-square-foot addition to the building is expected to be completed by the end of 2010 and will be named Queally Hall.

Along with the construction of Queally Hall, the Robins School plans to implement new elective courses in finance that will be team-taught by a faculty member and practitioners from the financial services industry; market update seminars that will keep students abreast of the latest trends and developments in the national and global finance world; a Wall Street “Fast Track” program providing internships and mentors at sponsoring firms for five competitively chosen freshmen; a distinguished speaker series to bring national figures in finance and business to the school for visits and presentations; and a pilot of an intensive program that, over the course of a weekend, will immerse students in activities and introduce them to communications and negotiation methods and other skills to prepare them for professions in the corporate arena.

“As a student, alumnus and trustee, I have always valued the emphasis that the University of Richmond places on its students,” said Paul Queally. “Anne-Marie and I wanted to give back to the university in a way that enabled it to provide more value to its students. We believe in the Robins School vision and that the new addition will enable the dean and faculty to offer new programming, initiatives and resources which will enhance the student experience and better prepare them for their futures.”

“This gift will make a big difference to the University of Richmond,” said UR President Ed Ayers.  “Paul and Anne-Marie’s gift provides us with the space, opportunity, and incentive to build on the wonderful legacy of the Robins School.”

Paul Queally, who received his undergraduate degree cum laude in economics and an MBA from Columbia University, is co-president of the investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, which he joined in 1996 as general partner.  He began his career as an analyst at the New York investment banking firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). He rose to vice president before becoming a general partner of the venture capital company Sprout Group, a DLJ affiliate.  

Queally has been active in Richmond alumni activities and served on the university’s Board of Trustees from 2000-07. He also served on the Business School Executive Advisory Council from 2002-03. He is a member of the board of Spider Management Company, which oversees the investment of the university’s endowment.

Anne-Marie Flinn Queally, who graduated from Richmond summa cum laude with an economics and French double major, worked as a marketing representative for IBM and budget and financial analyst for Morgan Guaranty Trust before leaving the corporate world to raise the couple’s three children.

Queally Hall will facilitate collaboration between students and faculty, encourage a sense of community through creative use of common spaces, support hands-on discovery-based learning through centers and laboratories, and enhance connections between the Robins School and the local and global business communities. The addition will house classrooms, offices, meeting spaces, a 225-seat auditorium, a marketing research lab and a simulated capital markets trading room.  

“Paul Queally has been a supporter and a leader in the evolution of the Robins School of Business to become one of the best business schools in the country,” said Robins School Dean Jorge Haddock. “Now the Queallys are enabling us to achieve our vision for the future. The new building addition will provide us with the opportunity to expand our programs and equip our students still better for their professions.”