Matthew Bucksbaum made a $1 million commitment to the University of Iowa Hillel.

Thomas Friedman, the acclaimed foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, took part in an informal Q & A session at the University of Iowa Hillel on November 5.  Friedman was at the Hillel to honor a recent endowment by his father-in-law, Matthew Bucksbaum.

Bucksbaum, a 1949 graduate of the University of Iowa and chairman of General Growth Properties (GGP), has made a $1 million commitment to the University of Iowa Hillel.  The gift establishes an endowment for general operations in memory of Louis Shulman, a UI alumnus and Iowa City lawyer who was instrumental in the establishment and growth of both the Iowa Hillel and GGP.  At Mr. Bucksbaum's request, the Iowa Hillel has been renamed "The University of Iowa Louis Shulman Hillel Foundation."

A gala dinner was held in honor of Mr. Bucksbaum at the Levitt Center for University Advancement on the UI campus.  Over 180 people attended, including 40 current UI students.  Guests included Wayne Firestone, president of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life; Amir Arbisser, member of the Iowa State Board of Regents; Gary Fethke, interim president of the University of Iowa; and Lynette Marshall, president of the University of Iowa Foundation. 

The keynote speaker at the event was Friedman, whose talk, "The World is Still Flat," addressed changes in the global economy arising from political and technological developments--and update on his bestselling book, "The World is Flat."

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