University of North Texas graduate and founder of the tax service firm that bears his name, G. Brint Ryan and his wife, Amanda, have made a $30 million commitment – the largest in university history – to the college.
The gift will provide ongoing support for business research through academic endowments, as well as funds to support strategic program initiatives to ensure the college is one of the nation’s top providers of business higher education. The college will be named the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, following approval by the school’s board of directors.
“I’m so proud of G. Brint Ryan, and I am pleased to celebrate his achievements and his commitment to ensuring that UNT’s business students receive the very best education possible. Like Brint, UNT students have always been hard-working, passionate contenders who want to make a difference in the world,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said. “The impact of this generous gift will be transformational for today’s students and the generations to come. It will further UNT’s ability to drive progress and enable our continued success as a top-tier university, especially at a critical time when we are gaining momentum in many areas.”
The gift will create at least six endowed chairs and provide funding for academic program initiatives over seven years. Among the areas of focus will include taxation and tax research, entrepreneurship, finance, logistics, information technology, cybersecurity, and behavioral accounting.
“My experience at UNT transformed me. It opened my eyes to a world of incredible possibility. The skills and lessons I learned at UNT enabled me to build and lead a fantastic team of people to the top of the global tax services and software business. I’m thrilled to be able to share some of that success with UNT business students and faculty,” said G. Brint Ryan, CEO of Ryan. “This gift will help the College of Business attract and retain some of the best minds in the field enabling us to be more competitive and more effective in our mission at UNT.”
Ryan earned a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in accounting from UNT in 1988, and is the founder, chairman and CEO of Ryan — an award-winning global tax services provider based in Dallas. He and his wife of 23 years, Amanda Sutton Ryan, have five daughters ranging in age from 19 to 11 years — Beth, Sarah, Annabelle, Victoria and Mary Rae. Ryan currently serves as chairman of both the UNT System Board of Regents and the UNT Kuehne Speaker Series Board, serves on the Board of Trustees for Pi Kappa Alpha, and has previously held seats on the UNT Accounting Advisory Board and the UNT College of Business Advisory Board. He has received numerous acknowledgements honoring his service and generosity to the university, including the prestigious UNT Wings of Eagles Presidential Award and a UNT Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ryan’s exceptional gift is a foundational investment in UNT’s College of Business — one that will propel continued growth,” said Marilyn Wiley, UNT’s dean of the College of Business. “Brint Ryan’s business leadership is a powerful and fitting example for our students, who will be the business leaders of tomorrow.”
The UNT College of Business serves nearly 5,800 students and makes significant contributions to the economic development of the North Texas region. Since 1961, the college has been continuously accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business — a hallmark of the world’s best business schools.
The naming of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business will become official after final approval from the UNT System Board of Regents at their upcoming quarterly meeting in February.
“We are deeply grateful for the Ryan family’s philanthropic spirit,” said David Wolf, UNT’s vice president for university advancement. “A gift of this magnitude displays strong confidence in the excellence of our students and the innovative spirit of our faculty and staff.”