Marshall receives donation

The Marshall School of Business will establish the William   J. McMorrow Global Real Estate Program thanks to a gift from McMorrow, CEO of the real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson.

The program will support cutting-edge scholarships and prepare students for leadership in an interconnected global marketplace, according to the USC press release.

“We are profoundly grateful that someone with William McMorrow’s stature and expertise in real estate has chosen to put his name on this endeavor,” said USC Senior Vice President for University Advancement Al Checcio in the press release. “We are thrilled to call Bill a partner and a friend, and we know his involvement augurs a world-class program.”

McMorrow purchased Kennedy Wilson in 1998, and since 2010, the firm has been one of the most active global investors in real estate with approximately 12 billion dollars of purchases, according to the press release.

McMorrow, a USC alumnus, received his Bachelor of Science in business administration and his MBA from Marshall as well. He has stayed involved in the USC community through serving on the executive board of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, which advances real estate knowledge and addresses issues that affect the industry.

“The William J. McMorrow Global Real Estate Program will be a vital forum for thought leadership that attracts prominent faculty and trains the next generation of visionaries in the field,” said Dean of Marshall School of Business James G. Ellis in a press release. “The gift is a natural fit for a university so rooted in Southern California, which has always been a hub of real estate innovation.”

McMorrow’s gift is part of the Campaign for the University of Southern California — an effort to secure 6 billion dollars or more in private support from individual donors, foundations and corporations.