Lauder Institute Naming Announcement

On October 23, 2018, brothers Ronald S. Lauder, W’65, and Leonard A. Lauder, W’54 joined Penn President Amy Gutmann, Provost Wendell Pritchett, and Lauder Institute Director Mauro Guillen in celebration of the remodeling of the building that currently houses the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies. The building is now known as the Lauder Institute and is entirely dedicated to the program’s students, faculty, and staff. This transformation has been made possible by an extraordinarily generous gift from Ronald S. Lauder, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Lauder Institute.

“Leonard and I had a vision 35 years ago that Penn would teach students something we didn’t have available to us — the opportunity to combine a business or law education with international studies,” said Ronald Lauder. “Now 35 years later, with this renovation, our dream has its own home.”

  • Lauder Event
  • A small group of people in formal attire engaged in conversation at an indoor event with tables and chairs in the background.
  • Three people are smiling and embracing each other in a friendly and affectionate manner. They appear to be at a social event or gathering.
  • Two individuals in suits posing together indoors, suggesting a formal event or gathering.
  • A formally dressed couple is posing in an indoor setting with a wood-paneled wall displaying plaques in the background. Other people are mingling in the out-of-focus background.
  • A person in a suit and blue tie smiling outdoors, engaging in conversation with another person.
  • A person standing at a podium speaking into microphones outside a building with a brick facade and glass doors, next to a ribbon with "The Lauder Institute" text.
  • A person standing at a podium with two microphones, addressing an audience. The background shows a sign for the Lauder Institute and colorful potted flowers.
  • A person in a suit is speaking at a podium with two microphones. The background includes a wall with the words "Lauder Institute" and some potted flowers.
  • A person in formal attire speaks at a podium in front of a building labeled "Lauder Institute." The area is decorated with potted flowers.
  • Front of Lauder Institute
  • Lauder Lounge
  • A smiling person in a suit and tie, possibly in a professional setting.
  • A person wearing glasses and a suit is smiling, with a blurred blue background featuring text or logos.
  • A group of people in a meeting room seated around a conference table, with papers and water bottles in front of them. One person is prominently speaking or listening.
  • A small group of older adults in business attire are gathered in an office setting. Two individuals are seated at a table with water bottles and papers, while another stands behind them.
  • A person wearing glasses and a suit is smiling, sitting at a table with bottles and cups. The setting appears to be a meeting or conference room.
  • Marina Jacobson
  • A person in a suit is smiling and standing in an office environment. The background includes a wooden door and frosted glass panels.
  • A person with long hair is smiling and seated indoors. They are wearing glasses on their head and earrings. Another person is blurred in the background.
  • A person wearing glasses and a suit is speaking, holding papers and a remote, in front of a banner.
  • A person in formal attire smiling in front of a sign that reads "The Lauder Institute Challenge."
  • An elderly person wearing a suit and tie is seated and speaking at a meeting or conference. Two water bottles and a placard are visible in front.
  • An individual in a suit and tie, sitting at a conference table, smiling, with nameplate and water bottles visible.
  • A group of individuals in a professional setting, engaged in conversation. One person in the foreground is seated at a table with documents and a meal, speaking to another person.
  • An older person in a suit and tie speaks into a microphone against a blue backdrop with the word "Lauder" partially visible.
  • A formal gathering with several people seated at a dinner table. An older individual stands, interacting with a seated person. The setting suggests a business or social event.

Last week, I had the great honor of participating in a dedication ceremony to celebrate a new chapter in the Lauder Institute’s story — a newly renovated and expanded home for the world’s premier program in international business.From now on, our home will be known as the Lauder Institute, with all four floors dedicated to our students, faculty, and staff. This transformation is possible due to the exceptional generosity of Ronald Lauder.
The expansion of this building is a reflection of just how much the Lauder Institute has grown in scope and influence since its founding 35 years ago. The renovation, which will be completed in 2019, will provide modernized space for students to collaborate and for the Lauder Institute to host events with leading figures in global business.The combined impact of our successful Lauder Institute Challenge and this next step forward for the program sends an unequivocal message to the world: the Lauder Institute is the very best in its class, and we are only getting better.

With Lauder Love,
Mauro Guillen

PHILADELPHIA, PA, October 23, 2018 — The Lauder Institute and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania are pleased to announce a leadership gift from the Honorable Ronald S. Lauder, W’65, to remodel the home of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of International Studies and Management.

This generous contribution from Mr. Lauder, Chairman of the Lauder Institute Board of Governors, dedicates the entire building ¬– which will now be known as the Lauder Institute – to this distinctive joint degree graduate program.

All four floors of the Lauder Institute will be remodeled, including a new lobby, welcoming students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and providing a venue for events. Renovations to the postmodern edifice will be completed in the fall of 2019.

The building is located in the heart of the University of Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia campus and was originally constructed in 1990 with support from the Honorable Ronald S. Lauder, W’65 and his brother Leonard A. Lauder, W’54, co-founders of the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of International Studies and Management in honor of their father. Their mother Estée Lauder, founder and namesake to The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., was present at the original building groundbreaking ceremony.

Mr. Lauder’s gift comes at the end of the enormously successful Lauder Institute Challenge, which began in 2013 and raised more than $30 million for the Lauder Institute from more than 1,000 alumni and friends. The Lauder family’s visionary $15 million dollar for dollar match for every gift was instrumental to the Challenge’s success.

“My brother Leonard and I had a vision 35 years ago that Penn would teach students something we didn’t have available to us. Now 35 years later, with this renovation, our dream has its own home.” said the Honorable Ronald S. Lauder.

“It is heartening to witness the longstanding generosity of the Lauder family, and especially that of Ronald and Leonard Lauder,” said President Gutmann. “Ronald’s vision of a new space for the Lauder Institute and for alumni participation in funding this unique program remains an inspiration to me and so many others across the University and the world over.”

“I am profoundly grateful to Ronald Lauder for his sustained investment in generations of global leaders,” said Wharton Dean Geoffrey Garrett. “We are proud to have a dedicated structure for this dynamic joint-degree program in such an inviting and modern facility.”

The Lauder Institute building’s new name was visible at the Lauder Institute Challenge Celebration, an on-campus gathering of alumni with the Lauder family, on September 15, 2018. A ribbon cutting ceremony with Penn President Amy Gutmann to dedicate the space and honor Mr. Lauder for his generosity is taking place on October 23, 2018.

“It is thrilling to envision the new Lauder Institute building and the impact it will have on the experience of our students and faculty,” said the Lauder Institute’s Anthony L. Davis Director Mauro Guillén. “Our students will greatly benefit from new areas to gather and dine, which will foster the interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange that is the hallmark of this program.”

The Honorable Ronald S. Lauder is Chairman of Clinique Laboratories LLC and a 1965 graduate of the Wharton School. He serves as Chairman of the Lauder Institute Board of Governors and is a past member of the Wharton Board of Overseers. He established the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, dedicated to Jewish education and communities in Central and Eastern Europe, and serves as President of the World Jewish Congress and Chairman of the Jewish National Fund. Mr. Lauder also serves as Chairman of the International Public Committee of the World Jewish Restitution Organization; Chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation Committee; Chairman of the Jewish Heritage Council; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sakharov Archives at Brandeis University; Director of the International Board of Governors of the International Society for Yad Vashem; and is a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Board of Directors of the Jewish Theological Seminary; the Board of Directors of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee; the Board of Trustees of the Anti-Defamation League Foundation; the International Auschwitz Council; and the International Board of Governors of the Tel Aviv Museum. The Honorable Ronald S. Lauder is the Founder and Chairman of the New York based Water Holding Group RWL Water, LLC, and Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation.

Mr. Leonard A. Lauder is Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. He earned his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School in 1954. He is a Penn Trustee, a current member of the Lauder Institute Board of Governors, and a former member of the School of Arts and Sciences Overseers. In addition to his commitment to the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Leonard A. Lauder serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation; Co-Chairman of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Board of Directors; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; Chairman Emeritus and Lifetime Trustee of the Aspen Institute Board of Directors; and a member of the President’s Council of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital.

About The Lauder Institute
Founded in 1983 by brothers Leonard and Ronald Lauder in honor of their father, the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies provides a fully integrated business education to a new generation of leaders coming of age in a rapidly globalizing world. The program combines an MA in International Studies from the School of Arts and Sciences with an MBA from the Wharton School or a JD from Penn Law. This unique MA/MBA or MA/JD joint degree program was the first of its kind and remains in a class by itself. Lauder’s rigorous academic program integrates excellent teaching in tailored arts and sciences coursework, regional and global programs of study, advanced language study, and cultural immersion experiences preparing each class of 70 students to become successful, culturally fluent global business leaders.

About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 participants in executive education programs annually; and a powerful alumni network of 98,000 graduates.

About the School of Arts and Sciences
The School of Arts and Sciences forms the intellectual core that has established Penn as one of the world’s leading research universities. The largest of Penn’s academic divisions, the School is home to 27 departments that represent a full range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The College, Penn Arts and Sciences’ undergraduate division, enrolls 6,500 students and provides the liberal arts foundation for all Penn undergraduates. The School’s Graduate Division offers rigorous doctoral and master’s programs in more than 30 graduate groups, and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies offers a wide range of options to encourage lifelong learning.