Apr 09, 2014 02:45 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of Saint Francis in Indiana received a $1 million donation for the enhancement of its Performing Arts Center, school officials announced.

The Robert Goldstine Foundation gift to the liberal arts university gives the school the ability to improve the center's performance in ways it sees fit. The move underscores a long-term friendship between the University of Saint Francis and the foundation.

The foundation was named after a longtime Fort Wayne realtor and provided financial support for the school since the mid-1970s. The Robert Goldstine Foundation was created after his death in 2001.

The friendship - and the university's gratitude - will be displayed when the building's name is lettered as the Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center to proclaim the legacy to all, school officials announced.

"We are the fortunate beneficiaries of Robert Goldstine's vision and generosity," Matthew Smith, the school's vice president for development, said in a statement.

Goldstine was a long-term benefactor and friend of the university. He was trustee emeritus for the board from 1975-2001, and emeritus member of the University Relations Committee from 1995-2001. He had supported the school financially since the mid-1970s, and was named to the university's Seraph Society in recognition of his generous giving.

"Most people in Fort Wayne didn't know of Bob's philanthropy," Steve Wesner, president of the foundation's board of trustees, said in a statement. "He was very generous to the community and never would take any recognition. We thought it should be known because this is something that improves that part of downtown and draws people to it. It benefits our community and catapults it forward as the foundation intended."

The school's performing arts center joins the former Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce building, purchased and slated for renovation by the university as a downtown campus to house new academic programs, drive business creation, support a vibrant arts community and provide economic stimulus for the city. 

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