WPI scrubs Foisie's name from campus
Photo | Grant Welker
WPI's Innovation Studio will no longer bear the name Foisie, after a lawsuit settlement involving the school's largest donor, Robert Foisie.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute has officially removed the name of the late Robert Foisie, an alumnus and the largest donor in its history who gave $63 million over his lifetime, from its formerly named Foisie Business School and Foisie Innovation Studio & Messenger Hall, following a May settlement with Foisie's ex-wife over a lawsuit where she alleged he improperly donated money to the school.
WPI President Laurie Leshin first notified the college's community of the removal in a letter dated May 27, which was not made public at the time. Following the message, WPI began implementing the name changes to what are now known as The Business School and The Innovation Studio, according to WPI spokesperson Colleen Wamback.
As a result of a lawsuit settlement, Janet Foisie requested that the Business School and the Innovation Studio remove Robert Foisie’s name from their titles, to which WPI agreed, according to the memo.
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The message was sent out after a post-divorce lawsuit was settled between Janet Foisie and WPI over the donations from Robert Foisie, who died in 2018.
In May, Janet Foisie voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit, in which she was aiming to recoup a $4.5-million donation her husband made to the school after the couple’s divorce in 2011. The money used for the donation was allegedly hidden in offshore assets and promissory notes, which prevented her from recovery her portion of that money in the divorce.
The lawsuit brought other allegations against Robert Foisie to light, including Robert was accused of hiring a hit man to kill his adult son, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in 2017.
“The decision included findings about Mr. Foisie’s conduct that we feel are inconsistent with WPI’s values,” Leshin's message said. “WPI was not a party to the case and had no knowledge of Mr. Foisie’s conduct at the time of his donations.”
When searching the WPI website on Friday, the only places Robert Foisie's name still appears are archived news articles, including the 2018 In Memoriam tribute to him following his death.
In light of the decision to remove Foisie's name and following the settlement with his ex-wife, WPI created a $100,000 endowment to support the Janet Foisie Lecture Series, an annual ethics presentation to be offered as part of orientation for all new students.
The Robert and Janet Foisie Scholarship Fund will remain in WPI’s endowment and continue as a source of financial aid for students, per the message.
Robert donated nearly $39 million to the school after the divorce and is understood to be the school’s largest donor. In the 2014 announcement saying WPI would name both the business school and innovation building after Robert Foisie, WPI said Foisie gave $63 million to the institution over his lifetime, pre- and post-divorce.
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if you really want to make a statement, give the money back
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