Knauss Center for Business Education Officially Opens

Don and Ellie Knauss cut ribbon to new home of the Knauss School of Business

The Knauss School of Business has a new home. 

The Knauss Center for Business Education officially opened Thursday afternoon, following a ribbon cutting ceremony that featured University of San Diego Board Chairman Don Knauss, the former CEO of Clorox, and his wife, Ellie.

In December 2021, the couple increased their philanthropic giving to the university to $50 million to help fund construction of the new facility. In honor of the gift—one of the largest in USD history—the business school was named the Knauss School of Business. 

More than 100 members of the USD community including top administrators, trustees, staff, students and alumni gathered around the fountain in Paseo de Colachis to view the ceremonial opening of the 120,000-square-foot building. Together with the recently renovated Olin Hall, the new complex has more than tripled the size of the university’s 50-year-old business school. 

Standing before the steps leading to the building’s polished stone archway entrance, Don and Ellie enthusiastically offered their unwavering support for USD. 

“We believe in the leadership of this university, and we believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” said Don, addressing the crowd below an overcast August sky. “We think this investment is going to create opportunities for a lot of talented students from all walks of life for generations to come.” 

“To us, this day is the culmination of our core belief that education is the great equalizer,” Ellie said. “We know that this school, the Knauss School of Business, and this world-class facility are going to provide young adults the ability to maximize their God given talents. They are going to ensure that we confront humanity’s most urgent challenges and do it with loving hearts.” 

In April 2021, the university broke ground on the Knauss Center for Business Education and the renovation of the 37-year-old Olin Hall. The school had long outgrown the space and its faculty, staff and programs have most recently resided in six different buildings across campus. 

“Today, we sit at the steps of a vision and a dream that was well over 20 years in the making, and today we recognize that visions — and dreams — can become a reality,” said Vice President of University Operations Ky Snyder, who served as event emcee. “Today with the Knauss family, we get to celebrate the opening of the Knauss Center for Business Education and the Knauss School of Business." 

“This has been an incredible effort by literally hundreds of people enabled by individuals who are here today,” said Tim Kean, PhD, dean of the Knauss School of Business. “Inside what I call the ‘innovation and collaboration ecosystem,’ we have state-of-the-art spaces. It’s designed the way business today and in the future is supposed to work — it’s open [and] it’s collaborative." 

Following the cutting of the ceremonial blue ribbon, guests were invited inside for the first time to explore the numerous spaces, which include flexible classrooms, student support services, finance and analytics labs, innovation and entrepreneurship spaces, the Nexus Theater and team collaboration pods. 

“Collaboration, at least in my career, certainly was the key to progress,” said Don, standing beside Ellie inside the new theater space. “Collaboration leads to innovation leads to progress. I think that’s what is going to be fostered in this facility.” 

“To me, a lot of the collaboration is the friendships and connections that are made, continued Ellie. “That is what really prepares you to be successful in business.”  

With just weeks until the start of the new school year, Don had a message for current and future students of the Knauss School of Business: be fully engaged and utilize the resources available. 

“You have got a combination of world-class technology, world-class faculty and now this incredibly inspiring structure to work and learn in, so take full advantage of it."

— Story by Matthew Piechalak; Video by Kelsey Grey ’15; Photos by Alé Delgado