A roundup of notable gifts compiled by The Chronicle:
Brown University
Richard and Susan Friedman gave $24 million through their family foundation to renovate Wilson Hall, a 125-year-old building on the campus’s central quad.
The construction project will preserve the historic exterior of the building, but renovate the interior from the ground up. University officials plan to rename the building Friedman Hall once renovations are completed.
Mr. Friedman is the head of merchant banking at Goldman Sachs and chairs two of the firm’s investment committees. He and his wife are Brown alumni, both earning bachelor’s degrees in the late 1970s, and Mr. Friedman serves on the Brown Corporation Board of Fellows. The couple previously donated money for a 24-hour study center in Brown’s Sciences Library.
Lipscomb University
George Shinn, former owner of the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), donated $15 million to back the university’s College of Entertainment & the Arts. The money will help pay for a new events center and other programs.
The college offers undergraduate degrees in cinematic arts, fashion and design, music, theater and dance, and visual arts and a graduate program in cinematic arts. It will be renamed for Mr. Shinn, who said he made the gift because he appreciates the power of storytelling and believes the arts can change peoples’ lives.
Florida International University
Chad Moss gave $10 million through his foundation to back the College of Engineering & Computing, which will be rechristened the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability.
The money will endow scholarships for first-generation students, veterans, and disadvantaged youth; a directorship of the school; and a fund for faculty and postgraduate research, student academic and industry programs, lectures, charrettes, and other projects.
Mr. Moss is executive vice president of Moss & Associates, a construction-management company. He graduated from Florida International in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in construction management.
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams donated $10 million to create a new research institute at the Boston hospital focused on improving the lives of people with disabilities.
Mr. Schoen is chief executive of investment firm Baylon Capital Management.
A portion of the donation will establish the Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams Discovery Center for Recovery from Chronic Pain. The remainder will be used to expand other research efforts.
Ducks Unlimited Canada
James Kennedy gave $3 million to back an effort to protect 20,000 acres of waterfowl habitat in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Mr. Kennedy is chairman of Cox Enterprises, a media conglomerate founded by his grandfather, James Cox.
He previously endowed conservation programs at Clemson University, Colorado State University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.
To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated throughout the week.