The gift will be paid over three to five years. The money is undesignated and can be used at the discretion of UofL President James Ramsey to support the highest priorities of the university.
The donation was announced today at The Nucleus, the University of Louisville Foundation’s new office building at 300 E. Market St. The Nucleus is the first new building constructed as part of a developing complex for entrepreneurs, innovators, accelerators, researchers and corporate office users.
As a result of his gift, the complex will be named the J.D. Nichols Campus for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The campus is bound by Floyd, Preston, Market and Jefferson streets on property that once housed The Haymarket, a place where local farmers sold fruit and vegetables.
Nichols, a Louisville native, is a 1964 graduate of UofL’s Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. In addition to building NTS into one of the largest and most successful real estate firms in the region, he also has been devoted to community service. As former chairman and longtime member of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, he helped to guide the growth of Louisville International Airport. He’s also an advocate for education and a former member of UofL’s board of trustees.
“Education is the key to the continued growth and success of our community,” Nichols said. “For some time, I’ve wanted to do something that would impact UofL students, faculty and this community. This gift is the result of conversations that began at the start of the university’s recently completed $1 billion capital campaign.”
“Through his work with NTS, the Louisville Regional Airport Authority and our own board of trustees, J.D. Nichols has had a key role in making Louisville a great place to live and work,” Ramsey said. “Through his generous $10 million gift, he is going even further to make sure Louisville’s legacy for innovation and entrepreneurship continues for many years.”