$20 million gift from Ron Shaich fuels university’s transformation plan
Clark University announced that it is the recipient of a $20 million gift from Ron Shaich – visionary business leader, benefactor, and Clark trustee – to support the implementation of the University’s strategic transformation plan announced last spring.
This single largest gift in Clark history will be a key component of the University’s plan to refocus its academic programs around areas of institutional strength and streamline and rightsize operations to create a more sustainable, relevant, and competitive educational model for a changing world.
“With this gift, Mr. Shaich is affirming the promise of our strategic plan to propel Clark into a new chapter of sustained relevance, excellence, and impact,” said Clark President David Fithian. “The leading role he is taking to support us philanthropically is a testament to his belief in the distinctive and distinguished nature of a Clark education. Put simply, I couldn’t be more inspired or grateful for this singular act of support for the institution he and so many others care so deeply about.”
A mix of endowed and expendable funds, Mr. Shaich’s gift will help fortify expanded enrollment and financial aid initiatives, the continued progression of The Clark Experience; activities and efforts to raise awareness and visibility around the launch of Clark’s School of Climate, Environment, and Society; and other academic and programmatic initiatives called for in Clark’s strategic plan. These collective efforts enhance students’ educational experience and outcomes while also supporting faculty and programs in key areas of institutional focus.
“Mr. Shaich’s support for Clark will allow us to make important investments even as we continue the hard but necessary work of reducing expenses and rightsizing the institution,” President Fithian said. “His gift does not replace the need for financial discipline — it enhances our ability to align that discipline with bold action.”
Ron Shaich is a pioneering entrepreneur and business leader best known for founding and growing Panera Bread. He is also the founder of Act III Holdings, a personal investment vehicle focused on purpose-driven, sustainable brands. He has been the founder, lead investor, chair and/or CEO of multiple successful enterprises including Au Bon Pain, Cava, Tatte Bakery and Cafe, Life Alive, Honest Greens Barcelona, and Level 99. He is the author of “Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations,” in which he distills and shares lessons on leadership, transformation, and long-term thinking from his decades of business success. Mr. Shaich has earned broad recognition for his extraordinary accomplishments, including (among many): Boston Magazine’s Boston’s Most Influential People, Yale CEO Leadership Institute’s Legend in Leadership Award, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and Restaurant Business Restaurant Leader of the Year.
A 1976 graduate of Clark, Mr. Shaich has maintained deep ties to the University. As a student, he founded and ran the General Store on campus, sparking the entrepreneurial passion that would drive him to one day reimagine the fast-casual dining experience for millions of people in restaurants like Au Bon Pain, Panera, Cava, Tatte Bakery and Cafe, Life Alive, and Level 99.
A former chair of Clark’s Board of Trustees and a current trustee, Mr. Shaich has been an essential force for positive and enduring change at the University over the years, strengthening Clark through his incisive counsel, sound leadership, and generous philanthropy. His previous $5 million gift made possible the 2016 opening of the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center, a hub for campus operations and student success.
“Clark, like all of higher education, is at a critical inflection point. The decisions we make and the actions we take today are determinative,” said Mr. Shaich. “I applaud the way in which President Fithian and the entire University are confronting this moment proactively, boldly, and with plan and purpose. And I am very proud to be part of moving Clark forward.”
In 2014, Clark awarded Mr. Shaich with an honorary degree. In his keynote address to students, he challenged the graduates constantly to ask the hard questions and discern what truly matters for a successful career and life, noting that they came to the right college to search for those answers: “Over the years,” he said, “I’ve come to believe a Clark education is powerfully different.”
Founded in 1887, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university that prepares its students to meet tomorrow’s most daunting challenges and embrace its most significant opportunities. Through 33 undergraduate majors, more than 30 advanced degree programs, and nationally recognized community partnerships, Clark fuses rigorous scholarship with authentic world and workplace experiences that empower our students to pursue lives and careers of meaning and consequence.