MBI at 25

In 1999 Gordon J. and Marilyn S. Macklin made history with their $1.26 million donation to the College. It was the largest gift to a two-year college in Maryland history, and it established the Macklin Business Institute at Montgomery College. Twenty-five years later, the MBI community—alumni, current students, faculty, and Macklin family members—came together to celebrate the program’s success and the Macklin’s legacy at a reception held last October. 

“We honor Gordon and Marilyn Macklin and their vision of what they intended for MC students,” said Steve Lang, MBI director. “Our MBI alumni all say the program changed their lives. We’ve had students transfer to top business schools directly from Montgomery College, and many continue their education at top graduate programs, including the Harvard MBA program.”

To date, Gordon and Marilyn Macklin Foundation donations to the College total $5.3 million, including $1.22 million to establish the Macklin Business Institute Finance Lab. Gordon Macklin was the first president and CEO of NASDAQ from 1971 to 1987. Marilyn Macklin was an alumna of Montgomery College. Both are deceased.

“MBI always challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and try new projects, try new experiences. When I moved to the United States, my resume was a blank page, and within the two years I was involved at MC and MBI, I was able to not only to fill it out, but I had a hard time choosing which activities to put on there, which is amazing.”—Dena Bassiri ’19