Decades before Georgia State University received national attention for a commitment to inclusion and belonging, innovation, and social mobility—and before rankings bodies paid attention to such things—leaders from Bank of America (BofA) recognized those traits within the downtown Atlanta school. One might call Bank of America an original cheerleader for Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business. The bank is, after all, one of Robinson’s longest-standing supporters.

“Our partnership dates back to the 1960s,” said Al McRae, president of Bank of America Atlanta, who not only serves on the Georgia State University Foundation board but also earned his B.B.A. in finance from Robinson in 2002. “We share the same values, such as innovation, research, and a thoughtful commitment to solving the world’s most challenging problems.”

A $1 million donation in the early ‘60s marked the bank’s first major gift to Georgia State. Mills B. Lane, then president of Citizens & Southern National Bank (C&S, a precursor to Bank of America), did so to encourage more students to pursue careers in banking.

C&S merged with NationsBank in 1991. One year later, NationsBank donated its former Atlanta headquarters building to the university’s College of Business Administration (renamed the J. Mack Robinson College of Business in 1998). Located at 35 Broad Street, the iconic 14-story edifice has housed Robinson administrative offices and academic departments from 1993 until this day.

Lane made another major mark in 1997 with an umbrella of scholarships available to students within the business school. The more than $800,000 endowment provides financial aid to anywhere from 12 to 40 undergraduate and graduate students per year in the amount of $2,000 on average.

The company’s investment in the leaders of tomorrow extends beyond scholarships. In 2015, Geri Thomas, BofA’s then Georgia president, set up a $400,000 endowment for WomenLead, Georgia State’s award-winning undergraduate initiative dedicated to helping females build leadership skills and compete for high-level jobs across sectors. The gift funds the program’s lecture series. On top of that, BofA volunteers participate in key WomenLead events including power networking, engagement interviews, and final poster presentations.

Then there are the two grants, most recently $50,000, BofA awarded to Georgia State’s Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund (MSESF), a program offering mentorship, training, and funding to entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented populations. Bank employees provide financial literacy education to MSESF participants. Plus, Don Hunter, BofA small business community officer, has served as a judge for the MSESF business pitch competition.

“Robinson students display some really impressive attributes like grit, resilience, and an entrepreneurial spirit,” McRae said. “They demonstrate an unwavering commitment to not only their own education but also to their community. They possess a good perspective of themselves as global citizens and how they can make a difference on a larger scale.”

BofA’s contributions to Robinson don’t stop at students. In keeping with its commitment to innovation and research, the bank has endowed two Bank of America Distinguished Chair positions, currently held by Vikas Agarwal and Omesh Kini.

“Our relationship with Robinson is long, robust, and multifaceted,” McRae said. “We enjoy collaborating with students, faculty, and staff on different events and ideas to invest in the community and make Atlanta a great place.”