Illinois Wesleyan University theater school gets $2.5M gift

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Wesleyan University’s School of Theater Arts has received a $2.5 million gift in honor of a graduate who often credited his theater training for helping him become a successful lawyer.

The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports the university on Monday renamed a theater in McPherson Hall the Jerome Mirza Theater. The name recognizes the $2.5 million gift from the Jerome Mirza Foundation.

Mirza was a 1960 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan who died in 2007 following a career as a trial attorney.

IWU President Dick Wilson says $500,000 of the gift will be used to upgrade the theater over the next five years. That will include lighting, sound systems and video equipment. The remaining funds will establish an endowment for long-term needs.

ReCENT POSTS

Loading...