$25 million gift from Weatherhead Foundation elevates Case Western Reserve’s status as hub for leadership excellence

When the Weatherhead Foundation invested in the management school at Case Western Reserve University more than 45 years ago, its gift fueled an institution that is known for breakthrough management research, experience-based education and exceptional leadership development.

Today, the foundation is amplifying its commitment to the next generation of leaders at Case Western Reserve University through a $25 million gift that will launch the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute.

Housed at Weatherhead School of Management, this university-wide, interdisciplinary institute will help students develop the experiential and service-based leadership skills they need to make courageous, ethical and emotionally intelligent decisions in the real world.

“As president of the Weatherhead Foundation, Celia has proven she is a strategic, impactful leader—changing the lives of so many through thoughtful support to organizations that can make a difference,” said Case Western Reserve University President Eric W. Kaler. “We are grateful for her continued commitment to the Weatherhead School and to this university—including as an emerita trustee—so we can develop leaders who are ready to be a force for good in the world.”

Proven success

The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute, set to debut in fall 2026, will benefit students at all levels—from undergraduate to graduate to executive education. The school’s graduate coursework, for example, will prioritize interdisciplinarity, including working at the intersection of technology, business and humanities. Non-degree programs, such as Weatherhead Executive Education, will benefit from the institute bringing together researchers, alumni, executives and leaders to build out a robust leadership ecosystem.

The institute’s first initiative is at the undergraduate level: Participants will take part in a four-year program that includes projects that give them hands-on experience in both communities and corporations, as well as mentorship opportunities with alumni, faculty and peers.

It’s a significant expansion of an approach that has already seen success at Case Western Reserve through the President’s Leadership Development Program. Students from this pilot cohort are on track to graduate in May 2026, after taking courses and workshops on leadership and social problem-solving and gaining practical learning experiences through service projects, research opportunities, internships, and involvement with student organizations. Their pilot program proved the power of an expansive, multiyear leadership-development option that is now growing to become the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute.

“Seeing the solutions-oriented, high-impact leaders that Case Western Reserve and the Weatherhead School have produced over the years made me realize there is a remarkable opportunity to not just continue this powerful work, but to amplify it exponentially,” Celia Weatherhead said. “This institute will develop the next generation of leaders who are driven to excel in their fields and make positive changes both in Cleveland and in our society.”

Learning from a leader

They’ll do so under the guidance of a legendary leader. Scott Cowen (HON ’11)—now a university trustee who served as dean of Weatherhead School of Management from 1984 to 1998, interim president of Case Western Reserve University from 2020 to 2021, and a visiting professor recently teaching a leadership class at Weatherhead School—has been named inaugural chair of the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute.

Cowen’s return marks a full-circle moment: When Albert J. Weatherhead III and the foundation gave $3 million to strengthen the business school in 1979, he developed a strong relationship with Cowen, who became dean of the school a few years later and grew the school’s prominence exponentially by the 1990s. Cowen became president of Tulane University—Celia Weatherhead’s undergraduate alma mater—in 1998. Even after his departure from Northeast Ohio, Cowen and Albert Weatherhead remained close until Albert’s death in 2011, while Cowen and Celia Weatherhead continued to drive meaningful impact at Tulane, especially improving access to education.

“The Weatherhead School will always be a deeply important place for me, in no small part because of Al and Celia,” Cowen said. “Having the opportunity to return to the school and lead an institute that will be transformative for students is an incredible honor and opportunity; the fact that it’s made possible because of the Weatherheads is exemplary.”

A connected vision 

Given its strength in leadership development education, Weatherhead School of Management marked a natural fit for the Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute. But the goal of the institute is to not just build leaders in business; instead, it’s to weave leadership principles honed at the Weatherhead School across all areas of the university.

“At Weatherhead, we strive to develop leaders who can lead change and thrive in complexity,” said Dean Andrew Medvedev (CWR ’97). “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to not only spark this mentality in our own students but to connect to so many across the university and beyond. The Celia Scott Weatherhead Leadership Institute will serve as a change agent that only a true problem-solving university like Case Western Reserve can build.”