A $150,000 gift from Marc and Deborah Chini will create a dedicated Chini Collaboration Space within the unique learning and research environment of Reynolds Hall.
West Virginia University alumni in the Chini family, including Marc and sons Tyler and Parker, took invaluable human resources knowledge and life-changing management skills with them after they graduated from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
The family’s recent gift will leave a legacy that supports future business leaders studying at Reynolds Hall for generations to come.
“I look back on my WVU education, and I’m so thankful I was afforded so many experiences,” Marc Chini said. “I just wanted to make sure I gave back in some way. And I have been lucky enough to have the resources to do that.”
The $150,000 gift from Marc and Deborah Chini will create a dedicated Chini Collaboration Space within the unique learning and research environment on the fifth floor of Reynolds Hall, which opened in 2022.
“Learning spaces like the Chini Collaboration Space allow Chambers students to not just succeed, but thrive, empowering their education in unique ways,” Josh Hall, Milan Puskar Dean and economics professor, said. “We are extremely thankful for the Chini family’s generosity, and our students will be, too.”
Chini earned two degrees from WVU, receiving his bachelor’s in business administration in 1980 and his master’s in industrial relations in 1981. He is wrapping up a more than 40-year career having held human resources positions with Liberty Life, McGraw-Edison, NBC Universal and currently Synchrony Financial.
"Debbie and I have been married for over 40 years and recently retired in South Carolina,” Chini said. “She was a huge part of my career success given the support she always provided to both me and our four children. She took on many challenges, as we moved eight times during my 37 years with GE."
When he recruited employees for companies, Chini said he typically started the search at his alma mater in Morgantown.
“When WVU graduates joined our teams, they came prepared for the work environment,” Chini said. “The education they received and the selection process just brought great students to us in the business world.”
The WVU industrial relations and human resources master’s degree program is one of the oldest and most celebrated programs of its kind. Open to undergrads of all majors, the program prepares students for rewarding and successful careers in human resources with a job placement rate of 93.5% by six months post-graduation.
"For decades, our industrial relations and human resources program has cultivated leaders who make a difference — professionals grounded in evidence, guided by ethics and committed to making workplaces better for everyone,” James Field, associate professor, said. “That’s the legacy our program is proud to continue."
Tyler and Parker Chini graduated from the program in 2011 and 2021, respectively.
Their dad grew up in Ravenswood dreaming of a career that would take him places.
“As a kid I would see people getting transferred in to and out of Ravenswood with Kaiser Aluminum,” Marc Chini said. “The one thing I always said was that I want to be one of those people in the business world.”
Chambers College graduates have worked in Turkey, China, Thailand and Colombia, among other exciting places.
Whether for business or for pleasure, Chini can say the business world has taken him to unexpected destinations.
“I’ve had more experiences than I could have ever imagined when I started my HR career journey,” Chini said. “Along with outstanding business experiences, I have also had the opportunity to walk on the Great Wall of China, see the Forbidden City in Beijing, stand on the mountaintops in Austria, visit the Eiffel Tower, and travel to many other cities across Europe and Asia.”
In addition to the generous gift for the Chini Collaboration Space, Chini has financially supported professorships, returned to campus as a lecturer, and served on both the Chambers College Visiting Committee and the WVU Foundation Board of Directors.
The latest Chini gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.