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TAMPA — Another school at the University of South Florida is displaying a new moniker after advertising executive Jordan Zimmerman donated $10 million to the university's mass communications program.
The Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications was announced during a public ceremony Monday at USF's main Tampa campus.
Zimmerman is the founder and chairman of Zimmerman Advertising in Fort Lauderdale, and is continuing his longtime support of his alma mater. That dates back to his original endowment of a scholarship for advertising students in 2002, and later an endowed professorship in advertising. In 2005, he launched the Zimmerman Advertising Program at the school, a join effort between USF's College of Arts and Sciences and the Muma College of Business. The program immerses students in the world of advertising by housing them in the living learning community on campus while working toward a business degree, as well as a master's degree focused on advertising analytics.
Zimmerman also makes executives from his agency available on a weekly basis during the fall, teaching marketing students the most current advertising strategies.
“I am pleased to be part of the University of South Florida, and beyond honored to have the school that I attended bear my name,” Zimmerman says in a release. “Being able to give back in a way that will change the lives of today's students and future generations by enabling them to pursue their own dreams is something I've always aspired to do.”
The gift is part of the university's overall $1 billion fundraising campaign. Last month, USF accepted a $10 million donation from Lynn Pippenger, a retired accountant and financial services executive with Raymond James Financial, naming the school of accountancy after her.
“We're grateful to Jordan for his continuing generosity to USF students,” says USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg in the release. “Jordan is a giant in the advertising industry, and has consistently paid it forward to the next generation.”
Zimmerman Advertising's clients include Papa John's, Office Depot, HHGregg, AutoNation and Boston Market. It was founded in 1984, and sold to Omnicom Group of New York City in 1999.
Zimmerman is a member of the USF Board of Trustees, originally appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, and is part owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers.
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