Mitchell Mondry, MBA ’86, Receives the Inaugural Legacy of Excellence Award
Since the University of Michigan Ross School of Business was founded in 1924, the dedication and commitment of its alumni and donor community has been a cornerstone of its success. Michigan Ross recently recognized the philanthropic commitment of an extraordinary donor, volunteer, and alumnus through the Legacy of Excellence Award. The inaugural awardee is Mitchell “Mitch” Mondry, MBA ’86, who has supported entrepreneurial activities at Ross for more than two decades.
Mitch Mondry is the founder and manager of M Group, a privately held real estate and investment firm based in Birmingham, Michigan. Wolverine pride runs strong in his family: Mitch and his wife Diane graduated from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) in 1982. Additionally, all three of their children (Lauren, Adam, and Jason) graduated from U-M.
In 2003, Mondry established the Mitchell A. Mondry Entrepreneurial Scholarship, which is awarded to high-achieving second-year BBA and MBA students who have demonstrated an interest in entrepreneurship. The scholarship has supported 45 students to date.
“To me, entrepreneurs are the most exciting business people,” said Mondry. “They create a business out of thin air, from an idea or a spark of inspiration. Being a successful entrepreneur is hard. You need to create a vision, recruit others to your vision, and execute and overcome zillions of obstacles on the road to building a business. I want to encourage students with that entrepreneurial drive and courage, enabling them to obtain the skills and interactive learning that Ross provides.”
The Legacy of Excellence Award was presented to Mondry on March 21, 2024 at the annual Donors & Scholars Celebration, which was attended by more than 175 guests, honors the generosity of alumni and friends who fund scholarships and student experiences at Ross.
I want to encourage students with that entrepreneurial drive and courage, enabling them to obtain the skills and interactive learning that Ross provides.
Mondry’s longstanding commitment to the next generation of entrepreneurs remains steadfast. He has been a board member of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies since 2004 and has documented a planned gift towards his scholarship, further cementing his legacy at Michigan Ross. Mondry has also remained in touch with many scholarship recipients, including Alfonso Chang, MBA ’04, who was inspired to establish his own scholarship fund through a bequest.
“Mitch is a role model for the entrepreneurial spirit, and he encourages and supports people, including myself, to pursue their professional dreams and passions,” Chang said. “Being a past scholarship recipient has inspired me to endow a scholarship fund at the Ross School of Business so that I can help and, hopefully, inspire others like Mitch did for me when I was a student.”
Michigan Ross has remained committed to fostering entrepreneurial talents and ambitions since its beginning, and the Mondry Scholarship is part of a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem at Ross.
“The Legacy of Excellence Award recognizes and confirms how important scholarship assistance is to students,” said Mondry. “My wife Diane and I are so fortunate to be able to provide scholarship funds to deserving students, and we hope to empower as many students as possible to explore opportunities to add to their entrepreneurial skillset. I hope someday one of the Mondry Scholars will be recognized with this same award.”
