The Question Man: Giving that Goes Deep

Northeastern alumnus Michael Gries, DMSB’77, PNT’16, was never content with surface explanations. He wanted to understand a situation down to its roots, those who knew him say. So he asked questions, accenting the “how,” “why,” “what if,” and “what then?”

He employed the same tactic as a university corporator and supporter. “Mike was not just trying to understand the consequences of gifts he could make,” says Athletics Director Peter Roby. “He was trying to help us shape our ideas so that his gifts would have greater impact.”

So when Gries passed away suddenly in September, this Northeastern governing board member left a sizable hole—and a legacy just as large.

Gries loved his alma mater, where he was the kicker on the varsity football team and met his future wife, Deborah PAH’77. He credited his co-ops with setting him up for success in finance and investing as the eventual co-founder of the CDG Group.

In 2013, the couple launched a new concept at Northeastern: the Gries Center for Sports Medicine and Performance. The center takes a holistic and data-driven approach to preventing injuries, not just rehabilitation. It also focuses on enhancing student-athletes’ performance through nutrition, training, and competitive psychology.

“Not a day goes by without a student-athlete being positively affected by this facility and the Grieses’ gift,” Roby says.

Gries was clear about his intentions: He wanted to be defined by more than sports. Last spring, he described his approach to philanthropy as “finding the road less traveled,” meaning “the less obvious areas, where you can make the biggest impact.”

So as their daughter, Sarah, prepared to graduate last May, Gries and his wife sought a fitting way to honor her achievement. They endowed the Sarah M. Gries Faculty Excellence Award to recognize exemplary teaching and scholarship within her college, the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. “I think it’s important to leave a philanthropic legacy not just to the university but to my family and to my daughter,” Gries explained. “This fund is now part of Sarah’s legacy.”

Gries had explored the idea with Dean Uta Poiger, whom he called “a forward thinker who is student-focused and determined to empower the faculty.” The admiration was mutual. According to Poiger, “Michael was a true visionary and pioneer. Together with Deborah and Sarah, he developed a legacy that supports an outstanding faculty member, and by extension student work, in the Experiential Liberal Arts.”

A member of Northeastern’s Trustee Development Committee, Gries played a key role in planning the Empower Campaign, and served on the Athletic Fundraising Committee. He also frequently came to campus, sharing his professional expertise with students at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business.

“There is simply too much to be said of a man of his caliber,” wrote one who knew and loved him best: his daughter, Sarah. Says his wife, Deborah, “Mike was the most generous person I ever met. His legacy at Northeastern is something I will remain proud of as it continues to help the lives of past, current, and future students.”