Ernest "Ernie" Scheller Jr., who graduated from Georgia Tech in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in industrial management (now known as a BSBA), gave the $50 million gift that led to the 2012 renaming of our business school: from Georgia Tech College of Management to the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business.

Scheller is chairman emeritus of Pennsylvania-based Silberline Manufacturing Inc., a company his father founded in the 1940s that is now a leading global supplier of high-quality pigments—primarily to the automobile industry—that tremendously enhance the visual appeal of coatings, paints, inks, plastics, and textiles. If your car has a metallic finish, chances are the shimmer was provided by Silberline.

“Georgia Tech taught me the importance of perseverance and persistence,” says Scheller. “Over the years, I’ve applied those same principles to my support of Georgia Tech and its College of Business. In order to build a College that will rank among the world’s best business programs, you’ve got to have great leadership, a broad-based vision, and a lot of determination.

"The College has been fortunate these past six years to enjoy such leadership under Dean Steve Salbu," adds Scheller. "By any barometer you could choose, the College has improved dramatically during Steve’s tenure. I have never been more optimistic about the future of Georgia Tech and its College of Business, and I am eager to see the great things that will happen there in the coming years.”