HIGHER EDUCATION
Donation will fund internships, competitions, conferences and travel, school says
The CEO of Albuquerque’s Frontier Restaurant has donated $250,000 to her alma mater, the University of New Mexico’s business school.
Shannon Rainosek, daughter of Frontier’s owners, Larry and Dorothy Rainosek, pledged the contribution to fund student participation in internships, competitions, conferences and international travel.
“I hope this fund encourages more businesses to offer internships and gives students more opportunities to demonstrate their skills,” Rainosek said in a news release. “By connecting students with New Mexico businesses, the fund can inspire them to build their careers here rather than elsewhere. Retaining strong talent will help strengthen New Mexico’s business community.”
Rainosek graduated from the business school — called the Anderson School of Management until it was renamed this spring as the James and Gail Ellis School of Business Leadership after the university’s largest donation in history — in 1991.
Rainosek’s donation will be matched by James and Gail Ellis, whose $30 million gift to the UNM business school includes $5 million to match additional contributions.
Rainosek — who grew up “working at nearly every level of her family’s business” before becoming CEO — was inducted into the business school’s hall of fame in 2024. She currently serves on the UNM Foundation’s board of trustees, according to the release. She will give the commencement speech at the Ellis School in December.
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
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