Recollections of Regenstein inspired Mansuetos’ library gift

Joe and Rika Mansueto are both University graduates—he received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1978 and his M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business in 1980; she received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology in 1991.

“Like most students at the University, we found the library to be a central part of the experience. Our typical days included going to Regenstein every night,” Joe Mansueto said. “It was really interwoven into our daily routines at the University. So when we were looking to give a gift to the school, a new library resonated with us.”

Joe Mansueto founded Morningstar, Inc., a premier investment research firm, in 1984, where Rika worked as an investment analyst. They were married in 1998 and have three children.

Morningstar’s immense growth over the years has allowed the company to venture into other lines of business, including individual stock ratings, investment consulting services and financial software. Morningstar now has more than 2,000 employees and operations in 18 countries, with annual revenues of more than $400 million.

Joe Mansueto is also a 50 percent partner in Time Out Chicago, a guide to nightlife and local attractions, which began publication in 2005 and has a circulation of nearly 40,000. He also has acquired business magazines Inc. and Fast Company from Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing in 2005.

In 2003, Joe Mansueto received a University Alumni Association Professional Achievement Award, and in 2000, he received the Graduate School of Business Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Often crediting his success to his educational experience at Chicago, Joe Mansueto has said he likes to hire fellow Chicago graduates at Morningstar because of their “strong analytical skills.” Approximately 10 percent of the company’s domestic employees are graduates of the University.

“With this gift, we really wanted to give back to the University that means so much to us,” Joe Mansueto said.

Additional information about the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library is available at http://mansueto.lib.uchicago.edu.

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