Couple Endow Scholarship for UC Lindner College of Business

$500,000 to support business students in technology

CINCINNATI – March 29, 2017 –-The University of Cincinnati and the Carl H. Lindner College of Business are proud to announce the establishment of a $500,000 endowed scholarship. The Beer Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, established by Lori and William Beer, will benefit students, with a preference toward females, enrolled in the STEM programs of information systems and analytics at Lindner.

The new scholarship will help recruit more top female students to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers through the University of Cincinnati. According to the Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey (ACS), women comprise 48 percent of the U.S. workforce but just 24 percent of STEM workers.

“Through this scholarship, our family hopes to empower female business students to grow as industry experts in a rapidly evolving and innovative world,” said Lori Beer, chief information officer of the Corporate & Investment Bank at JPMorgan Chase & Co. “I advise young women to be continuous learners by being courageous and taking risks. By using their education and expanding their knowledge, they will leave a unique mark on the world. Our scholarship will help Lindner students do just this.”

“As a business leader, Lori Beer is known for navigating rapid change, particularly in the area of technology,” said David Szymanski, former dean of the Lindner College of Business. “She is a remarkable role model for our students. Lori and Bill’s generosity will have a transformative impact on our students, the university and the business community.”

Prior to her role as the chief information officer of Corporate & Investment Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mrs. Beer was the Global Head of Banking Technology in the Corporate & Investment Bank at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, she was executive vice president of Specialty Businesses and Information Technology for Anthem, Inc. Mrs. Beer previously served on the board of directors for Vantiv Inc., a payment processing and technology solutions provider, the board of directors for Availity, NASCO and the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH).

The Beers’ daughter, Christina Beer, BBA ’15, previously served as UC’s Student Body President and is now employed at GE Aviation. The Beers’ other children, Morgan and Patrick, are active students on campus and enrolled in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.  In addition to being proud Bearcat parents, Lori and Bill have supported UC through the Bowties for Scholarships Fund, the Honors-PLUS Parents Fund and UCATS General Fund. Lori is a member of the UC Business Advisory Council.

“Families like the Beers are part of what makes our university unique,” said UC President Neville G. Pinto. “We are so grateful to Lori and William for making us part of their family and being part of ours. Their generosity and willingness to support our students and our exemplary Lindner College of Business provides much-needed assistance for scholarships.” 

In recent years, the Lindner College of Business has received numerous national accolades and is on a path toward preeminence. Its MBA program has earned the biggest three-year rankings jump in the country in U.S. News & World Report and the Lindner MBA was recently ranked the No. 1 best value MBA program in the United States by CollegeAtlas.org. Several of its undergraduates programs also are nationally ranked, including its marketing program, which Bloomberg Businessweek recently ranked No. 5 in the nation among public universities.