Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison received $85 million from a group of alumni to ensure that the school will retain its name for at least 20 years.

The gift, including $5 million donated today at a football game, is the first of its kind among universities to preserve a name and not change it after a sizable donation, said the school.

Thirteen contributors gave a minimum of $5 million each. The group includes Paul Collins, a former Citigroup Inc. vice chairman; former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner Wade Fetzer; and John Oros, managing director of New York-based buyout firm J.C. Flowers & Co., the school said today in a statement.

``That's the first one I've heard of, it's really quite a change of pace,'' said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy newspaper. ``Usually the big thing is to get someone's name on the building, (someone) who wants to preserve their legacy.''

She said the most recent so-called naming gift for a major university was at the University of Texas at Austin College of Business Administration in 2000, when B.J. ``Red'' McCombs donated $50 million.

Badgers Beat Hoosiers

The Wisconsin donation will bolster specialized masters of business administration programs and executive education at the school, the university said. The school has undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs, and about 1,600 students.

The latest gift, from Sheldon Lubar of Lubar & Co., followed the school's announcement of the first $80 million, which was made at an annual gathering of students and alumni.

``The donation was made during today's homecoming game,'' said Dennis Chaptman, a spokesman for the business school, in an interview. The University of Wisconsin Badgers beat the Indiana University Hoosiers, 33-3, in the game.

Other contributors include Patterson Cos. Chairman Pete Frechette; former Cisco Systems Inc. chairman and chief executive officer John Morgridge; Ted Kellner, chairman and chief executive of Fiduciary Management Inc., and Perry Partners Ltd. co-founder Paul Leff.

The university, started in 1848, has about 41,000 students.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Washington at dahart@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 27, 2007 16:40 EDT