Oakland, CA - Mills College has received an additional pledge of $5 million from Bay Area business leader Lorry I. Lokey - his third multi-million dollar gift to Mills in recent years.  With this donation, the founder, chair and CEO of Business Wire continues his exceptional support of the only graduate business school in the West designed to prepare women for leadership and entrepreneurial success.

In August 2004, Lokey made an initial pledge of $10 million to create a School of Business at Mills.  He has also given the College $3 million for its three-building Education Center for programs ranging from the pre-school to doctoral studies in urban educational leadership. 

The Business School is part of the College’s strategic plan to expand leadership opportunities for women with graduate programs responding to their academic and professional needs. Women are dramatically underrepresented in MBA programs nationwide, with only one third of students who are women, compared to more than 50 percent in medicine and law.

“We are grateful for the tremendous generosity of Lorry Lokey.  He is enabling us to build a graduate business school based on the success of our four plus one BA/MBA – the only program of its kind in the country,” said Janet L. Holmgren, Mills President.  “Lorry is deeply committed to Mills’ educational programs that advance women through the glass ceiling and help them transform society.” 

According to Lokey, “This gift is an investment in the future because education and women’s advancement are the future. Mills gives women the opportunities they dream of, and empowers them to work on eliminating discrimination against women.” Lokey said he expects Mills’ new business school “to be among the best in the country.”

Lokey serves on the Mills Board of Trustees and received an honorary degree from the College in 2004. His daughter, Ann Lokey, graduated from Mills in 1985.  He is highly respected for his philanthropy, having given away more than $110 million in the past decade.  Lokey was honored in 2003 by the Association for Women in Communications for advancing women in the communications industry. 

Based in San Francisco, Business Wire disseminates news releases from tens of thousands of companies and organizations to news media, financial markets, web sites, and other audiences.  It has 24 domestic offices, and overseas offices in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Stockholm and Sydney.  It also works with agencies in many countries including all of Latin America, Japan, the Southeast Pacific and the Middle East.

Mills’ four plus one BA/MBA allows undergraduates majoring in economics to earn both degrees in five years, streamlining their career opportunities.          

For further information about the Mills BA/MBA, call the Admissions Office at 1-800-87MILLS, email mba@mills.edu or visit the website at www.mills.edu

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 15 most diverse colleges. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility and creativity.

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