Herbert M. Hanson, Jr. Hall, or Hanson Hall, will be key to the much-needed expansion of the Carlson Undergraduate program. Hanson Hall is named in tribute to alumnus Herbert Hanson, who with his wife, Barbara, made a $10 million gift to the Carlson School of Management in 2004.

Bar and Herb Hanson

Herb Hanson, a Browns Valley, Minn., native and 1949 University of Minnesota graduate in economics, founded the San Francisco-based Hanson Investment Management Co., a money management firm with more than $3 billion in assets when he retired in 1993. Hanson said his gift is in gratitude for the education he received at the University of Minnesota.

"My education was the key to my success, and now I want to do what I can to help more of today¹s students get a good start in their careers," said Hanson, who returns to campus twice a year to speak to students. A member of the Carlson School’s Board of Overseers, Hanson
helped launch the Carlson Funds Enterprise, an MBA student-led fund management business managing more than $20 million, and he is a former member of the Enterprise’s advisory board.

Herb Hanson as an undergraduate

Hanson credits his success to the late Professor Arthur Upgren, who became a close friend and mentor. "Professor Upgren showed such interest in me, not just as a student but as a person," said Hanson. "I’m not sure I would have chosen economics and finance if it hadn’t been for his interest in me. I want to help future generations of graduates have similar experiences while they’re at the Carlson School." In 1999, Hanson honored his favorite faculty member by making a $1.25 million gift to establish the Arthur R. Upgren Chair in Investment Management at the Carlson School.