Cleveland State University has received a $10 million gift from alumnus Monte Ahuja, his wife, Usha, their family and the Ahuja Foundation to overhaul business education and prepare students for changes in the workplace.
The funding will support changes across undergraduate and graduate business programs, advanced learning environments, student financial assistance and opportunities to gain practical experience through corporate partnerships, University President Laura Bloomberg announced Oct. 14.
The university plans to place greater emphasis on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, helping students understand their effects on business and the global economy. Expanded partnerships with companies are also intended to help students develop professional connections and gain work-based experience before graduation.
CSU’s business college serves approximately 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students, and the university said the gift will support a broad redesign of its academic programs to reflect changing business practices and employer needs.
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The university’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider a plan to rename the Monte Ahuja College of Business as the Ahuja College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The proposed name recognizes the family’s philanthropic support and Ahuja’s career as an entrepreneur.
In addition to the $10 million contribution, the Ahuja family has pledged $100,000 annually to recognize faculty excellence and innovation. The funding will honor faculty members for their research, mentorship and academic expertise, according to the university.
Ahuja developed the business concept for Transtar Industries while pursuing his MBA at Cleveland State. He founded the company in 1975, building it into a global supplier of transmission and drivetrain-related parts. He now serves as CEO and chairman of MURA Holdings, based in Beachwood, Ohio.
His relationship with CSU also includes university leadership, where he served on the Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2000, including six years as chair.
In 2011, Ahuja and his wife donated $10 million to Cleveland State. That contribution led to the business college being named the Monte Ahuja College of Business. The latest donation makes the Ahuja family and the Ahuja Foundation the university’s largest lifetime donors, CSU said.
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Their previous contributions include the Ahuja Endowed Scholarship Fund, established in 1992, which has provided scholarships to more than 1,500 students. In 2019, the family established the Monte Ahuja Endowed Chair in Global Business to support faculty research and educational programs. The position is currently held by Rama Jayanti, a CSU professor of marketing.
Bloomberg said the latest contribution would help the university prepare students for a business environment increasingly influenced by technology. Timothy Cosgrove, chair of the Board of Trustees, also credited the family’s long-standing support with expanding opportunities for CSU students.
Ahuja said his education at Cleveland State helped shape his career and motivated the family to support students seeking similar opportunities. The gift builds on the family’s decades-long relationship with the university as Cleveland State prepares to update its business curriculum and strengthen connections between education and industry.