Our most recent installment of big-time higher ed regional philanthropy comes to us from South Bend, Indiana, where John Baumer and his wife, Mollie, gave $20 million to the University of Notre Dame for the construction of a new residence hall to be named Baumer Hall.

The gift checks off all of the boxes for a quintessential regional donor. Baumer grew up in South Bend. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Notre Dame in 1990 and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, before making his way (and his fortune) out west. He is currently a senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners of Los Angeles, a private equity firm. The couple’s mega-gift was preceded by a smaller gift—$3 million to endow Notre Dame’s men’s head lacrosse coaching position in 2015. Baumer is also a member of Notre Dame’s Campaign Cabinet and Wall Street Committee.

Baumer has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including Rite Aid Corp., Petco Animal Supplies, FTD Group and Equinox Fitness. Mollie Baumer is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College, where she was a varsity soccer player. She serves on Notre Dame’s Advisory Council for the Student-Athlete. The Baumers live in Manhattan Beach, California.

Read the full article on Inside Philanthropy.