David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Deanship
David Henry Jacobs attended the Jacobs School of Music in the early 1970s and is an active member of the Jacobs School of Music Dean's Advisory Board, the IU Foundation Board of Directors, and the Women's Philanthropy Council. David Henry Jacobs has continued his family's longstanding investment in IU through his support of a wide array of programs across the university including the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Maurer School of Law, the Kinsey Institute, the IU Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered Alumni Association, and the Jacobs School of Music.
David Henry Jacobs was the driving force behind the $40.6 million gift his mother, Barbara, gave the school in 2005 in honor of his father, David H. Jacobs, which, at the time, was the largest single gift for a school of music at a public university and the largest single gift ever given by individuals to Indiana University.
Jacobs' continued advocacy for and investment in Indiana University are a testament to the transformative power of philanthropy and have made a difference for many of Indiana University's best-known schools and institutes. Indiana University President, Michael A. McRobbie, awarded Jacobs an honorary doctoral degree during the October 31, 2013 ceremony which dedicated the Jacobs School of Music's new East Studio Building.
The David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Deanship was established for the Bicentennial Campaign of Indiana University, and the Jacobs School of Music is proud to use this gift to support a Deanship in the Jacobs School whose activities may include funding for recruitment of key faculty, research development, faculty development, scholarships, student travel, the Musical Arts Center, and/or the William and Gayle Cook Music Library. Dean Gwyn Richards holds the David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Deanship.