UCLA Anderson’s Morrison Center Inspires Curiosity about Marketing and Data Science

UCLA Anderson’s Morrison Center Inspires Curiosity about Marketing and Data Science


A generous gift from UCLA Medalists enables the search for insights into a rapidly expanding field
Don and Sherie Morrison

In 2015, UCLA Anderson Professor Emeritus Donald Morrison, and his wife, Sherie Morrison, a UCLA distinguished professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, donated nearly $10 million to establish a new marketing center at Anderson. The largest single gift from a UCLA Anderson faculty member, their generous donation launched the Morrison Family Center for Marketing Studies and Data Analytics.

The Morrison Center serves as a global resource for faculty, students and practitioners as they use data and analytical tools to advance understanding of consumer behaviors and marketing practices. The center connects academics with the marketing community’s professional activities in this rapidly expanding field.

In 2019, Don and Sherie Morrison were awarded the UCLA Medal, the highest honor the university bestows upon individuals. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block characterized their philanthropy as a “bold and visionary commitment to providing opportunity.”

“Marketing isn’t just about creative thinking today,” says Don Morrison. “It includes more quantitative research that incorporates the art of econometrics, big data, psychology, behavioral research — all under the umbrella of ‘marketing studies.’ This center’s aim is to support visiting scholars and Ph.D. students’ interaction across disciplines.” The Morrison Center also offers funding for academic research and conference participation to enhance the impact of research in the marketing field.

“Giving is about where your money and time make a difference,” says Sherie Morrison. “One of the reasons we have been generous with Anderson is that our two daughters earned their MBAs there, and they now enjoy very successful business careers. And during the 27 years that Don and I have been with UCLA, I have been embraced by the Anderson community.”

The Morrisons’ gift has enhanced UCLA Anderson’s marketing curriculum and academic research, as well as funded fellowships. An additional $1 million of the financial support to launch the center came from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation through Richard S. Ziman and Martin Blank, trustees. Ziman, a leading Southern California real estate executive with a long history of philanthropic giving, endowed the Richard S. Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA. The Gilbert Foundation has sponsored several events within the Morrison Center, including a lecture series, conferences and an annual marketing -symposium.

Upon announcing the Morrisons’ gift to Anderson, then Dean Judy Olian noted, “Don and Sherie are star members of the UCLA community. Their vision for the Morrison Center is inspiring and bold. It is truly heartwarming, coming from such beloved members of our community, and a huge source of pride and inspiration.”