The donation will be managed with a long-term perspective by a newly formed foundation for student entrepreneurship. The foundation’s funds consist of the annual dividend from the stock portfolio, and its purpose is to support entrepreneurial activities among JIBS students.
The dividend will partly go towards a prize for the best entrepreneurs among JIBS students and partly to finance entrepreneurial projects launched by JIBS students.
”Entrepreneurs fascinate me. People who dare to take chances are indispensable. If I had not dared to take a chance long ago, I could never have done this today,” says Lennart Israelsson.
Faculty, staff, and students at JIBS will be able to nominate prizewinners and student projects to a jury, which then submits proposals to the foundation board. An award ceremony and presentation of the funded projects will be held each year close to Lennart Israelsson’s birthday on 6 February. He also sits as a permanent honorary chairman of the board.
”Education is the best investment you can make. I would have liked to become a professor myself, but now I lecture to professors instead,” says Lennart Israelsson, who left school when he was 13.
Lennart Israelsson was born not far from Jönköping in 1916. He made his first stock investment in 1946, but had already retired when the media first drew attention to his successful and farsighted stock trading. In recent years he has made several donations, and he is a popular lecturer who often gives expert comments for major Swedish newspapers.
Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) is one of four schools within Jönköping University. The School offers study programmes and courses in business administration, economics, informatics and law with an international focus. Research at JIBS focuses on entrepreneurship, business renewal and internationalisation. JIBS has some 2,100 registered students, 240 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 180 million. For more information please visit www.jibs.se.
