Lehigh Business LUminaries

Former trustee Murray H. Goodman ’48 ’88H was a prominent American real estate developer and generous philanthropist whose generosity made possible the Goodman Campus, Goodman Stadium, Goodman Center of Real Estate in the College of Business, and the Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics position.

For almost 75 years, Goodman was the sole owner of the real estate development firm The Goodman Company, which was established in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1960 and later relocated its headquarters to West Palm Beach, Florida.

Goodman is a pioneer of the “super-regional mall,” a retail concept popularized in the 1950s and ’60s during America’s retail and suburban development boom. He envisioned destination-style shopping centers that drew customers from wide areas, featuring specialty stores, restaurants, and entertainment in one convenient location.

After spending almost three years in the U.S. Air Force as a qualified bombardier navigator, Goodman matriculated at Lehigh University.

Goodman graduated from Lehigh in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He began a career in the general contracting business before launching M.H. Goodman & Company in 1960; he changed the name to The Goodman Company in 1967. From 1979 to 2000, Goodman served as a member of Lehigh’s Board of Trustees, with Lehigh awarding him an honorary doctor of letters degree in 1988. Goodman’s basketball prowess led to his induction into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 2022, Goodman was honored with a Lifetime Commitment to Lehigh award, which recognizes outstanding achievement among Lehigh University alumni and honors those whose success has impacted their respective industries and communities.

Perhaps most notably, in 1983, the Saucon Valley campus was named the Murray H. Goodman Campus in recognition of Goodman's generous contribution to develop and endow the 550 acres, a mile and a half south of the main Asa Packer Campus, into a sports and athletic complex. The campus includes the 16,000-seat Murray H. Goodman Stadium, which is home to the Mountain Hawks football team and the Goodman Track and Field Complex.

In 1986, Goodman made another pledge that enabled the construction of the Murray H. Goodman Stadium, the centerpiece of the Goodman Campus with picturesque South Mountain in the background, which opened in 1988.

His real estate expertise helped transform the Asa Packer Campus with new buildings such as the Rauch Business Center and the Zoellner Arts Center. It is with great pride that Lehigh recognizes Goodman in the 1865 Society for generous lifetime giving and the Tower Society for support of the endowment.

Goodman passed away at age 99 on December 21, 2024.

Donald M. Gruhn ’49, accomplished financier and an extraordinarily generous alumnus, made no secret of his passion for Lehigh University.

“In the many ways I give to Lehigh, the simple reason is because I truly love the place,” Gruhn once said. “I love the breathtaking beauty of the campus, the warmth of the faculty and staff, the entire athletics program, the culture of Zoellner Arts Center, and the fun of chatting with the students.”

Gruhn was a longtime member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Business and, with his wife, established the Judy and Donald M. Gruhn ’49 Endowed Scholarship Fund, supporting undergraduate students with a preference for those majoring in finance.

“I am so enormously impressed with the knowledge of these students. I know many of them are at Lehigh because of scholarships, and I wanted to be a part of that,” Gruhn said when the fund was created in 2004. Since then, the scholarship — which will continue in perpetuity — has helped 14 students receive a Lehigh education as of Aug. 2025.

The Gruhns’ generosity has been diverse and far-reaching, benefiting Lehigh Athletics, the Lehigh Fund, Zoellner Arts Center, the Mustard and Cheese Drama Society, the Department of Journalism and Communication, and The Brown and White student newspaper.

They also created an endowment fund for the technology, software, and data needs of the Bosland Financial Services Lab. Additionally, they supported the renovations of Linderman Library, the construction of the STEPS building and the Business Innovation Building, and the recent renovation of Clayton University Center at Packer Hall.

In 2008, Don Gruhn established an endowment for the Donald M. Gruhn ’49 Distinguished Finance Speaker Series, thus formalizing his long tradition of bringing speakers to campus to address students on business topics.

Gruhn graduated from Lehigh with a degree in business administration. He was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, the Glee Club/Choral Arts Club, the men’s soccer team, and Mustard and Cheese. He was also actively involved in The Brown and White.

Gruhn passed away on December 20, 2024, at the age of 97. 

Tech entrepreneur Sanjay Shah ’89 MBA was a proud Lehigh alumnus, philanthropist, and founder and CEO of the Chicago-based global software company Vistex, Inc.

In 1999, Shah founded Vistex, Inc., which grew into a worldwide operation with 20 global offices and 2,000-plus employees. Its customers include some of the world’s biggest brands such as General Motors, Barilla, and Bayer.

Shah’s significant gifts to the university established the Vistex Institute for Executive Education at Lehigh and allowed the university and the College of Business to move forward in strengthening engagements with industry and business. Shah was the featured speaker in the Donald M. Gruhn ’49 Distinguished Finance Speaker Series at Lehigh in October 2022.

The new, state-of-the-art home for the Vistex Institute at Lehigh opened in 2023 upon completion of the Business Innovation Building. Shah had attended the opening celebration on March 3, 2023, and addressed his enduring support for executive education at the university.

“I kind of started my journey in the United States at Lehigh,” he said in a video interview marking the opening. “This was my first stop on my path to success, and so it means a lot to me to pay it forward.”

Shah, who grew up in a tight-knit family in India, had come to the United States in the late 1980s specifically to attend Lehigh. He had studied commerce and languages as part of his undergraduate studies in India, but for his graduate studies, he sought out Lehigh, as it was also the alma mater of a business icon he had deeply admired, Lee Iacocca ’45.

After earning his MBA, he worked in audit at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which had recruited him at Lehigh for its offices in Easton, Pennsylvania. Within six months, however, Shah knew it wasn’t the right job for him. He switched directions, taking a job with General Motors in Canada in operations and logistics, where he came to realize his passion for technology in business.

After General Motors, Shah joined SAP as it expanded into Chicago, then relocated to Germany with the company for about two years. Back in Chicago with SAP, he approached company officials with his niche ideas. They did not want to invest in those areas at the time, but told him that if he ever became successful, they would consider working with him.

Shah instead built software and a software company to execute his innovative vision.

The philanthropic arm of Shah’s company, Vistex Foundation, provides resources to those in need globally. The foundation works primarily in the areas of health, education, and micro lending.

Shah passed away in January 2024. He was 55.

Ronald J. Ulrich ’66 ’98P ’99P ’05H was a former chairman of Lehigh’s Board of Trustees and Trustee Emeritus, a successful investment manager, and generous donor to the university. His leadership and philanthropy elevated Lehigh Athletics, the performing arts, and the Zoellner Arts Center.

After graduating with degrees in both engineering and business administration, Ulrich went on to earn an MBA in corporate finance from New York University.

He built a distinguished Wall Street career, beginning at Mitchell Hutchins and then serving for 15 years as a partner and managing director at Morgan Stanley Group, where he co‑founded Morgan Stanley Asset Management. In 1989, he established Equinox Capital Management, an institutional investment manager, and served as chairman and chief investment officer for nearly two decades.

Throughout his lifetime, Ulrich maintained a close connection to Lehigh. He joined the Board of Trustees in 1993, chaired the board from 1996–2002, and later served as chairman emeritus. He also chaired Shine Forever: The Campaign for Lehigh, a $500 million effort to strengthen academic programs and endow scholarships.

A longtime patron of the arts, Ulrich officially opened the Zoellner Arts Center in September 1997 by introducing the New York Philharmonic, an orchestra on whose board he served and whose appearance at Lehigh he was instrumental in securing. His generosity endowed two faculty chairs in the music department and established a general endowment to support the program.

Equally devoted to athletics, Mr. Ulrich, who played tennis and squash as a student, was the principal donor to the Ulrich Sports Complex on the Goodman Campus, a multi‑use facility serving men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, and field hockey.

A steadfast supporter of Lehigh Wrestling, he established the Ronald J. Ulrich ’66 Wrestling Endowment Fund and endowed the Peter W. Likins Wrestling Scholarship. He also created an athletics endowment that provides ongoing support for fundraising across the department. In 2012, he was inducted into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame.

In recognition of his service and leadership, Mr. Ulrich received the Lehigh New York Club’s L‑in‑Life Award in 2003 and a Doctor of Humane Letters during the 2005 commencement ceremonies.

Mr. Ulrich is survived by his wife, Christie ’98P ’99P, and their children—Benner ’98 ’00G, Adrian ’99, and Collier. He passed away on February 8, 2025, at the age of 80. His legacy endures in the students, programs, and places at Lehigh that benefited from his remarkable generosity.