The Mason School of Business' new building will be named for health-care management entrepreneur Alan B. Miller '58 in honor of his generous support to William and Mary.

Miller joined Gene R. Nichol, president of the College, and Lawrence B. Pulley, dean of the business school, at Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 16 for the surprise announcement during a business school alumni event.

To be constructed at the corner of Jamestown Road and Campus Drive, Alan B. Miller Hall will provide approximately 160,000 square feet of space consisting of state-of-the-art facilities for instruction, student activities, faculty offices, visiting scholars, research and other purposes.

"I have seen firsthand the impact new facilities can have on a university -- especially its professional schools," said Nichol. "This new building will give our Mason School of Business much-needed space and enable the faculty and student interactions that drive great academic enterprises."

Exact cost figures will not be available until the end of the planning process; funding will come from private and university sources. The amount of Miller's gift was not announced by mutual agreement between Miller and College officials.

Miller, a resident of Philadelphia, is chairman and president of Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS), which he founded in 1978. UHS is one of the largest hospital management companies in the nation, operating 100 facilities in 22 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Net revenues of the company are approximately $4.5 billion annually.

"William and Mary is a special place and has had a lasting influence on me," said Miller, who has long been a supporter of the arts and education. "I am honored to help launch the next generation of future business leaders at my alma mater."

He served as a trustee of the William and Mary Endowment Association and is a life member of the College's President's Council. In 1999 he received the William and Mary Alumni Medallion, the College's highest alumni award. As a student, Miller played on the College's basketball team.

Miller also holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he serves on the Board of Overseers. In 1992 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina and received the George Washington University President's Medal in 2002.