David Wilson, owner and chief executive of Orange-based Wilson Automotive Group, has pledged $25 million to his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa (UNI).
The donation is the largest single gift in the university’s history with funds established as the Wilson Endowment and dedicated to the College of Business.
A portion of the pledge will also create the Wilson Scholars Fund to provide renewable scholarships for students from Tama County, which includes Wilson’s hometown.
Wilson’s gift has also led to the renaming of the business school in his honor, now known as the David W. Wilson College of Business. It is the first named college at UNI.
Wilson owns 18 dealerships with annual sales totaling over $3 billion. 11 are based in Orange County and nine are among the region’s top auto dealers ranked by sales volume, according to Business Journal data.
