Gianforte Academic Center: A Great Step Forward for Stevens

Making their second $10 million gift to Stevens, Greg ’83 and Susan Gianforte have greenlighted construction for the newly named Gianforte Academic Center (formerly the Gateway Academic Complex), a pair of buildings that will soon add smart classrooms, advanced labs, faculty offices, and abundant space for student and faculty collaboration.

Greg ’83 and Susan Gianforte

“Susan and I know a winner when we see one,” Gianforte said. “The incredible ascent that Stevens has experienced over the last five years is truly remarkable. We consider this additional gift as an investment in an organization that is making a difference—for its graduates who go on to launch and lead companies, for an economy that is driven by technological innovation, and for a society that benefits from the research taking place at Stevens. Susan and I are pleased that our gift will be a catalyst for Stevens and the important work the university is doing.” — Greg Gianforte

When the Gianforte Academic Center opens in 2019, the buildings, connected by a skybridge across Sixth and Hudson Streets, are slated to add 17 smart classrooms, six advanced labs and 45 faculty offices, plus the Department of Computer Science; an array of laboratories in healthcare technology, including the Semcer Laboratory for Tissue Engineering; the Digital Learning Lab; and a Prototyping Manufacturing Facility.

Greg has deep ties to Stevens. His late father, Frank, graduated from the university in 1958. After earning a B.E. in electrical engineering and a M.S. in computer science from Stevens, Greg was elected as a young alumni trustee to the Board of Trustees. He has also been a member of the Edwin A. Stevens Society, the leadership giving society at Stevens, every year since graduation. Greg moved with his wife Susan to Bozeman, Montana in 1994, where they raised their four children and founded RightNow Technologies, a cloud-based customer service and support solutions company. The company was sold to Oracle in 2012 for $1.8 billion. Greg recently launched Better Montana Jobs to stimulate job growth and wages in Montana.

Greg and Susan have been generous philanthropists, supporting charitable organizations from Bozeman through the rest of Montana, the United States and even internationally.

The Gianfortes have a deep commitment to Stevens. This recent gift follows a first $10 million gift they made in 2012. This second gift also propelled The Power of Stevens campaign past the $100 million mark toward its $150 million goal.

“Susan and Greg Gianforte have made yet another transformational gift to Stevens,” said President Nariman Farvardin. “They invested in the future of Stevens in 2012 with a $10 million gift that jump-started our fundraising efforts and provided critical momentum to our planned academic building. With this additional gift, Susan and Greg have demonstrated their confidence in Stevens and the impact the university will have in the future. I and the entire Stevens community are so grateful for their leadership, commitment, and extraordinary generosity.”