VanderCook has received the largest donor gift in its history, courtesy of Keith Mardak, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Hal Leonard LLC of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the world’s largest educational music publisher.
The $2.5M challenge gift requires the college to raise an equal amount from other donors, with all funds designated to help the college complete renovation of its performance center. The center, located on the college's campus at the Illinois Institute of Technology, will be the college’s first dedicated performance space in its 100-plus-year history.