FORT COLLINS — Colorado State University’s College of Business has received a $2.5 million donation from the Fort Collins-based Everitt Cos. and the Everitt family, its biggest donation ever.
The donation includes $2.4 million for the college’s real estate center and $100,000 for the dean’s leadership education initiatives for business students.
The university will change the name of the Center for Real Estate to the Everitt Real Estate Center.
“In giving us a gift of $2.5 million to the Everitt Real Estate Center, they allow us to join in their commitment to Fort Collins and Colorado State University,” said university President Larry Penley, speaking to a crowd of about 100 people gathered at Rockwell Hall for an afternoon presentation of the gift.
Bob Everitt said there is a simple reason for why he and his wife, Joyce, and their family decided to donate funds to the university. “I love CSU,” he said.
Neither Everitt nor his wife attended CSU, but since they started their real estate business in the early 1950s, the couple has maintained close ties with the university.
When the couple first moved to Fort Collins, they sold homes to many CSU employees. Later they became close friends with then-CSU president Bill Morgan and his wife, Villa. Everitt served on several boards attached to CSU, helping the university with development and fund raising.
The Everitts already have donated heavily to CSU, including major gifts to the Morgan Library Campaign, the McGraw Athletic Center and the B.W. Pickett Equine Center. In the past year, the Everitts joined with several other community groups to create the $1.5 million William E. Morgan endowed chair in liberal arts.
The university honored Everitt in May with an honorary doctoral degree in recognition of his contributions. In 2003, he was named the first inductee into the real estate center’s hall of fame.
The Everitts have grown their company into one of the leading real estate and development businesses in Northern Colorado.
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