Jeff Raikes, co-founder of the Raikes Foundation, was previously CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a Microsoft division president. And he wishes he would have had a Raikes School when he was at Nebraska.
A proud Nebraskan, Jeff grew up on a farm near Ashland, Nebraska, and credits his roots for shaping his work ethic and values. As a corporate advisory board member and long-standing adviser to the Raikes School, he remains deeply committed to its mission. Jeff has been actively engaged in supporting the success of the program, the students, and the broader future of Nebraska.
"The Raikes School is unique in that it is the premier program bringing together the domains of computer science and information technology with business," Jeff says. "We need industry and government leaders who understand both of these domains in order to prepare for a global, information-based economy."
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln dedicated the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management in 2008. The program, originally established in 2001 as the J.D. Edwards Honors Program in Computer Science and Management, has become a national leader in interdisciplinary education, equipping students with the skills and perspectives needed to tackle complex challenges and drive innovation.