Sacred Heart University Names Building after FIS Global CEO Frank Martire and Wife Marisa

Sacred Heart University’s new academic building has been named the Frank and Marisa Martire Business & Communications Center in honor of Martire, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FIS Global, and his wife.

Mr. Martire, class of ’69, is on the University’s Board of Trustees. The building will house the John F. Welch College of Business and the Department of Communications & Media Studies.

“We are honoring the Martires in recognition of years of service and leadership as well as a multi-million dollar philanthropic commitment to the University,” said James T. Morley, Jr., chair of SHU’s Board of Trustees.

The couple said they made the gift because they are excited to be part of the recent rapid growth at SHU and because they want to lead by example in encouraging other alumni to become donors.

“In the past 10 to 15 years, Sacred Heart really started to grow and change and (SHU President) John (Petillo) has taken that to an even greater level. It made us want to become involved—both financially and with our time,” said Mr. Martire who has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 2005.

Mr. Martire has held his current position at FIS Global since he joined the firm in 2009 as part of FIS’s acquisition of Metavante Corporation. FIS™ is the world’s largest global provider dedicated to banking and payments technologies. With a long history deeply rooted in the financial services sector, FIS serves more than 14,000 institutions in over 110 countries. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., FIS employs more than 40,000 people worldwide and holds leadership positions in payment processing and banking solutions, providing software, services and outsourcing of the technology that drives financial institutions.

Both Frank and Marisa grew up in Bridgeport, and Frank attended Sacred Heart University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. Right out of college, he spent his first 10 years of employment in the Technology Department at Connecticut National Bank. He then went on to spend the next 10 years with Citicorp. Since then, he has moved several times for his career, including a 15-year stop in Wisconsin where he served most of the time as chief executive officer of Metavante Corporation. These days, Frank and Marisa call Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida home, although they also own a home in Connecticut. The family made the move when a merger led to Frank’s current job.

The Frank and Marisa Martire Business & Communications Center will provide an active trading floor, “smart” classrooms, interactive labs, two large studios for television, video and film production, as well as industry-standard post-production facilities, screening venues and multimedia classrooms. Other features include a two-story atrium; a 225-seat multi-media forum for leadership institutes, lectures and screenings; a café; and elegant landscaping. The building has been designed by Sasaki Associates—the same firm that designed the University’s award-winning Chapel of the Holy Spirit and Linda E. McMahon Commons.

“I cannot begin to express the gratitude that the University community owes to Frank and Marisa. They are generous and forward-thinking. We are incredibly lucky that they see what we are trying to achieve and want to be a part of it,” Dr. Petillo said.

For additional Sacred Heart University news, please visit http://www.sacredheart.edu/aboutshu/news/.