Stephen F. Fry invests in the next generation of business leaders with $5M gift to establish new programs and help other first-generation scholars

The University of Indianapolis announced today that alumnus and Board of Trustee member Stephen F. Fry has given $5 million to establish a trio of endowed programs and position the UIndy School of Business as one of the elite institutions in the country. The gift comes from a first-generation college student from rural Indiana who wants to ensure that future scholars feel the same support and community that he did.

“I would not be where I am today without my experience at the University of Indianapolis,” said Fry. “Coming from a small town of 150 people, the intimate feel of UIndy where I knew everyone and everyone knew me, was vital to my success as the first one in my family to go to college. Higher education is just as important as it ever has been and students need those same types of connections now more than ever.”

The bulk of the gift creates the Stephen F. Fry Business Scholars Program as the premier undergraduate immersive experience in the School of Business. Based on academic credentials and financial need, an annual cohort of Fry Scholars will receive an exceptional curricular and co-curricular experience supervised and mentored by a director. Students will have funding to participate in national conferences, case competitions, experiential learning, internships and other immersive experiences, individually mentored by alumni and other community leaders.

The gift also establishes the Stephen F. Fry Distinguished Lecture Series to bring thought leaders and industry pioneers to the University of Indianapolis each year. The program places UIndy at the forefront of conversations concerning Indiana business as well as the entire Midwest. It gives the opportunity for the Greyhound community and scholars to have a front row seat to today’s most pressing industry topics and issues, and even help advance the discussion.

The Stephen F. Fry Faculty Innovation Fund will support curriculum and program innovations to ensure that the School of Business is at the forefront of delivering an applied education that reflects the needs of the business world. Faculty and staff will be inspired to pursue transformative curricular and co-curricular efforts to benefit students. The fund will also help attract and retain talented faculty and staff to the business school.

“Graduates from the University of Indianapolis don’t just leave with a degree—they are prepared to have a successful career thanks to the experiential and hands-on learning that is the hallmark of a UIndy education,” said President Tanuja Singh. “This gift from Stephen F. Fry only deepens and solidifies those opportunities for our business students and faculty. I am thrilled for what this means for future Greyhounds.”

Fry grew up in Millhousen, Indiana, population 149, where fellow Decatur County city Greensburg was ‘the big city.’ He retired as executive vice president and chief human resources officer in 2022 after more than 35 years at Lilly. He never would have dreamed that’s where he would have ended up. His tenure began after a frantic scramble as a college student. His internship at a bank in Cincinnati fell through at the last possible second so his professor made some phone calls, helping him land a replacement internship at Lilly so that he could still graduate in 1987. The rest, as they say, is history.

His feelings of being unprepared for what the real business world was like inspired his first major contribution to the University of Indianapolis in 2020. His $1 million was given with the purpose to invest and strengthen the career development center on campus, now known as the Stephen F. Fry Professional Edge Center. Pro Edge meets with every single student on campus and makes sure they are ready for interviews, helps them find jobs and internships and even has business clothing they can borrow for interviews—something Fry realized he needed on his very first day at his Lilly internship.

“I’m proud to support the next generation of students and faculty through this gift,” said Fry. “To understand the impact of what one internship or one professor can mean, just take a look at the career path of this small-town boy from Millhousen. I hope that this gift can make a similar impact on countless students in the Greyhound community for decades to come.”