Betty Knoebel, widow of Denver food-service pioneer Ferdinand “Fritz” Knoebel, presented DU with a $17.5 million gift to establish the Knoebel Center for the Study of Aging and to support the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management in the Daniels College of Business.

“The Knoebel family has always been philanthropic and very involved in the community and DU,” said Dr. David Corsun, director and associate professor at the newly-named Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Mangement.

The donation, announced in May, is one of the most substantial contributions in the university’s history.

The gift includes B Bar K Ranch, a property in Morrison, as well as a future cash commitment.

A $7.5 million gift will rename the HRTM school the Knoebel School of Hospitality Management. The Board of Trustees approved the name change on Saturday, Sept. 26, Corsun said.

“The other part of the gift, the 996 acre parcel, is valued between $12 million and $13 million. The first $10 million will fund the Betty Knoebel Center for Aging, a multidisciplinary aging center,” he said.

Corsun added that the motivation behind the new facility is to expand DU’s role in interdisciplinary research on aging and age-related conditions.

Furthermore, faculty will be added to molecular life sciences and bioengineering.

Many similar research centers are located in schools of medicine, according to Lynn Taussig, special assistant to provost, MSI.

“We’re still in the development and planning phase in creating the center,” Taussig said. “I came to DU to help grow the life sciences [research] activities… We are committed to the development of the new Center on Aging research and education initiatives.”

The University and Denver Health began collaborating on a number of health related research projects and programs in 2007. The Knoebel gift can further supplement this partnership.

“Increasingly organizations that service the aging from a residential perspective, even hospitals, realize it’s not just about medicine; they have become aware that there is a hospitality component,” Corsun said.

In HRTM, the financial donation is anticipated to provide aid and scholarships, staff support, business partnerships and real world learning opportunities.

“I look forward to seeing how this addition relates to the academics currently offered at DU,” junior Leah Samuelson said.