The money, one of the largest gifts in Miami's history, will be used to expand leadership and ethics education at Miami's Richard T. Farmer School of Business.

Miami has been planning a new building for its business school, scheduled to open in 2008. A wing of the building will be called the John T. Petters Center for Leadership, Ethics and Skills Development.

The money also will endow two university professorships, for ethics and for leadership, Roger L. Jenkins, dean of the business school, said.

John Petters was a 21-year-old junior who majored in political science and who loved business and international travel. The Wayzata, Minn., native was president of the business school's investment club.

In March, he was visiting Florence, Italy, during spring break.

He and a friend had followed a woman into a gated courtyard and garden area that was sometimes open to the public but was closed at that time.

The two didn't understand residents' requests to leave. Believing he was being burglarized, one man stabbed John Petters in his chest and leg. He died that night.

The assailant was arrested and has been charged.

Petters' father, Thomas Petters, said Friday that his son had always wanted to help other students have opportunities to fulfill their dreams, whether it was in education, business or international travel.

Thomas Petters is chairman of the Petters Group Worldwide, a group of 21 companies, including Fingerhut Direct Inc., Master Craft Tools and makers of Polaroid and Sunbeam brands.

Thomas Petters said that before his son's death, he'd been involved in awarding internships at the Petters Group and had talked about setting up scholarships for needy students.

The family has since set up a separate foundation to help students interested in international business.

"He was ahead of his time," Thomas Petters said of his son. "He put 75 years into his 21."

The gift to Miami would have pleased his son, Thomas Petters said.

"I can hear him saying, 'That would be a good thing, Dad.' I just wanted John's legacy to live on in as many ways as it can."

John Petters loved Miami, especially its business school, his father said.

A week before John Petters was to leave on spring break, he had dinner for the first time with Jenkins, the business school dean. Jenkins said he was impressed by Petters' depth of thought and compassion.

Petters was to be among a group of students who were to travel with Jenkins to China, Japan and Korea, but Petters had been concerned about students who couldn't afford to go.

Petters also asked why students didn't have more instruction on making ethical business decisions at Miami.

"I saw the wisdom of a 85-year-old man in a 21-year-old body," Jenkins said.

After his son's death, Thomas Petters came to Miami in March to attend a packed memorial service. He met Jenkins, and the two struck up a relationship.

That relationship led to the $10 million gift.

---

E-mail damos@enquirer.com