Alumni couple contributes large gift to Camp Randall project

Two UW–Madison alumni, Robert L. McGinnis and his spouse, Jennifer A. Latwesen, have given a serious boost to the university’s Camp Randall Stadium renovation project.

The couple, from Highland Park, Ill., have pledged $500,000, a gift that will name the Athletic Ticket Office in their honor at the renovated stadium, home to the football Badgers.

McGinnis received a bachelor of arts degree from UW–Madison in 1990; Latwesen graduated the same year with a bachelor of business administration degree.

“It felt like it was something we could do right now, and there was a need at the university that fit within what we wanted to accomplish,” says McGinnis, president and CEO for Life and Group Operations for CNA Insurance in Chicago. “I have a lot to thank Wisconsin for. I met my wife there. I got my first chance to lead there.”

McGinnis says having his and Latwesen’s names reflected on part of Camp Randall also was attractive to them. “The chance to have our names on a near-permanent portion of Madison is pretty cool,” he says.

“The Wisconsin Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is very grateful for the incredible generosity demonstrated by Robert and Jennifer with this financial gift to the Camp Randall Stadium renovation,” says Barry Alvarez, athletic director designee and head football coach.

“Gestures of this magnitude speak volumes about the love for the University of Wisconsin and its sports programs that these special alumni have,” he adds. “Significant pieces of the renovation are completed every week, and the enthusiasm surrounding the project is peaking. The Athletic Department wishes to publicly thank Robert and Jennifer for their wonderful gift.”

While at UW–Madison, McGinnis was president of the Wisconsin Student Association. “There’s a camaraderie that’s great on campus,” he says. “I got the opportunity at Madison to meet so many different types of people, to experience different kinds of responsibilities and to see what it really means to take a leadership role.”

McGinnis is an enthusiastic fan of Badger athletics – especially of basketball and football – and he cherishes and nurtures friendships made on campus. “I keep in touch with all of my old roommates, and there is a group of 10 friends I keep in very close contact with,” he says.

McGinnis and Latwesen have made gifts to the university in addition to their support of Camp Randall. They recently established the McGinnis-Latwesen Family Fund, an endowed scholarship in the School of Business that will benefit a minority undergraduate student. They also support the Chancellor’s Scholars program.

McGinnis and his firm, through a matching-gift partnership, have contributed some $40,000 to scholarships. He serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Business.

Of his UW–Madison education, McGinnis says, “Certainly it’s a degree that’s respected, especially in the Midwest, and throughout the country as well.”