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Alumnus' family gives $200k to support entrepreneurship's L.I.F.E Research Lab

Dan Williamson head shot
A gift from a Farmer School graduate will help the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship's L.I.F.E. Research Lab execute its vision of creating knowledge for the growing movement of faith and entrepreneurship. Dan Williamson MU ‘78, President & CEO at Aspen Medical Products, has provided a grant of $200,000 to enable the institute to hire personnel for the Research Lab and to develop an international academic research conference, which will provide academically-rigorous and practically-relevant knowledge for integrating faith and entrepreneurship.

This grant is the Williamson family’s third contribution in the last two years, totaling $300,000. "We are incredibly thankful for the continued support by Dan and his family. Because of their pioneering and continued support, we are building a truly distinctive program creating world-class knowledge and student experiences at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship," Brett Smith, founding director of the L.I.F.E. Research Lab, explained.

The Leading the Integration of Faith and Entrepreneurship (L.I.F.E.) Research Lab was founded in 2018 to provide practically-relevant knowledge at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship.

“We are honored to be able to support one of the first programs in the country focused on this growing movement of entrepreneurs and investors, who seek to bring faith into their entrepreneurial practices,” Williamson said.

L.I.F.E’s research, open to all faiths and inter-faith examinations, builds on Miami University’s leadership position in interdisciplinary research and practice-based entrepreneurship education and in the areas of social entrepreneurship and impact investing.

“I’m grateful for Dan’s support of the LIFE program, which is making an important contribution to the movement of faith driven entrepreneurship. We need solid academic research to help shape best practices for those of us in the field,” Aimee Minnich, co-founder and CIO of the Impact Foundation, said. “As a lawyer, entrepreneur and faith-driven investor, I am so grateful for the LIFE program and its contribution to this space. Dan’s grant will help continue the tradition of solid academic research to support the burgeoning movement of founders and investors integrating their faith into their work.”