FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College has announced that Trustee Robert B. (Rob) Brown and his wife Ruth have designated a $4 million estate gift to the college. Additionally, they have pledged a $500,000 gift toward the renovation and restoration of the Elwood Fitness Center.
“Rob and Ruth are devoted supporters of Franklin College,” said President Kerry N. Prather. “Their generosity has made a profound and lasting difference in the lives of countless Franklin students through their support of many initiatives. A previous recent gift from the Browns enabled the renovation of the Center for Tech Innovation, and this expression of confidence in Franklin College inspires the entire campus community. We are grateful for their enduring commitment to the institution.”
Rob has served as a Franklin College trustee since 2014. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from DePauw University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University. He served in multiple executive roles at Eli Lilly and Co. from 1985–2018, last serving as the senior vice president and chief marketing officer. He then joined Brickell Biotech, LLC, as the CEO, retiring in 2023.
Ruth also graduated from DePauw University majoring in computational mathematics. She worked for over a decade as a computer programmer in the insurance software industry, then joined Citicorp POS, helping to write one of the first point-of-sale supermarket software systems.
Rob said, “Our family has always placed great importance on giving back to the community. Although neither Ruth nor I attended Franklin, we value the importance of a liberal arts education and have loved becoming a part of the Franklin family. We hope these gifts will help the college continue to shape the lives of students for years to come.”
The Browns’ estate commitment is undesignated and not restricted for any specific purpose, allowing the college the flexibility to focus on priority areas of need when the gift is funded.
The $500,000 gift is specifically directed toward the restoration of the Elwood Fitness Center to enhance its facilities and update its infrastructure to better serve the needs of students. The renovation of the facility will preserve the historic integrity of its exterior while fully modernizing the interior spaces. Those will include the Wonder Five Court and aerobic equipment on the main level, plus locker rooms, offices, and support areas on the lower level for the athletic teams that compete in adjacent Faught Stadium.
