Drake University announced Wednesday a $3.15 million philanthropic commitment from Sammons Financial Group, one of the largest gifts from a corporate partner in the university’s history. The gift will support a new intercultural center and community outdoor space on campus and create 14 endowed scholarships.

Drake will use about $1 million of the gift to renovate Morehouse Hall, an on-campus residence hall, into the new Sammons Intercultural Center. Another $750,000 from Sammons will fund the development of Sammons Plaza adjacent to the center.

The remaining $1.4 million of Sammons’ gift will help expand two scholarship programs that are priorities of Drake’s comprehensive campaign The Ones: The Sammons Financial Group Changemaker Scholarship and the Sammons Financial Group Inclusive Scholars of Digital Proficiency Scholarship.

Sammons’ gift is a “major escalation” of the financial services company’s yearslong partnership with Drake, Drake President Marty Martin said during a press conference Wednesday morning at Sammons’ West Des Moines office.

Esfand Dinshaw, Sammons Financial Group’s chairman and CEO, said as the financial services company has established itself in Des Moines it has focused more on partnerships and community investment.

“Our focus now continues to be into the future,” Dinshaw said. “What is the partnership, what are the investments that we need to make so we can succeed and the neighborhood can succeed and Des Moines can succeed? As most of you know, I’m an immigrant to this country and my first stop was Drake University, and it gave me the education and prepared me for a future life in this country.”

Martin said going into The Ones campaign, Drake leadership recognized a need for spaces like the Sammons Intercultural Center that “inspires and supports community.”

“We’ve never had a space on our campus dedicated to those students who come to us from diverse populations, both domestic and international, where they can claim as their own and they know that this is their space, and that it is welcoming and supportive of them,” he said.

Dinshaw said gathering spaces can support students feeling comfortable on campus.

“Every student has an affinity with a certain group; for me it was international, but there is a place you want to call home,” he said.

The renovation of Morehouse, expected to start in 2023, will be the first step in The Ones’ University Student Center initiative, followed by the renovation and expansion of the Olmsted Student Center.

Martin said the students living in Morehouse Hall will move to the former Holiday Inn Express at 1140 24th St., which Drake converted into a residence hall after the hotel closed in 2021.

The two scholarship programs supported by Sammons’ gift will help students seeking a variety of career paths.

The Sammons Financial Group Inclusive Scholars of Digital Proficiency Scholarships aim to attract diverse students to technology and data analytics programs at Drake. Students receiving one of these awards will study computer science, data analytics, artificial intelligence, actuarial science, information systems, mathematics or mathematics education. In addition to financial aid, the scholarships will provide students opportunities to engage with Sammons through internships, mentorship and programming.

Martin said Drake is trying to position itself as a leading institution in integrating liberal arts with analytics and technology as a growing number of Drake students pursue credentials in data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Students receiving the Sammons Financial Group Changemaker Scholarships will pursue degrees in actuarial science, marketing or finance at the Zimpleman College of Business or information technology, graphic design or communication.

The Changemaker scholarships are about preparing students to “use their imagination, their innovation, their ability to collaborate across boundaries, their ability ultimately, to lead, their ability to be great citizens in the world and to be great participants in the enterprise,” Martin said. Changemaker scholars will have the opportunity to build professional relationships with startups and corporations, including Sammons.

With the endowment ensuring the scholarships will be available to students long-term, Dinshaw said he is excited about the positive impact the investment will have.

“I think the fact that we can have 14 students, help them financially, it has a diversity component to it, so to be focused on students who come from backgrounds that are not the same as many others and have an opportunity to get that education, is truly exciting,” he said.

Martin said Drake and other organizations’ opportunities to positively influence the community translates to a responsibility to do so as well.

“There are lots of challenges in the world that need resolution and if we all just stay in our narrow lanes, it’s not going to work,” he said. “Sammons is a great example of an entity that doesn’t stay in its narrow lane. You’ve got a great business enterprise with lots of success, and then looks up to the world says, how do we even have an impact beyond that? Same for [Drake]. … We look out, look up and we ask that question, how can we transform lives and strengthen communities?”