Temple University’s Fox School of Business welcomes Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, as its inaugural Warren V. “Pete” Musser Visiting Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Addressing Fox School students, Marcus will deliver a presentation, titled, “Do ethical entrepreneurs earn more?” Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 4 p.m. in Alter Hall.

An American businessman and philanthropist, Marcus co-founded The Home Depot after he and coworker Arthur Blank lost their jobs with a California hardware store. Marcus, Blank, and their early investor, Kenneth Langone, took The Home Depot public in 1981, and have since built a billion-dollar, home-improvement empire. Marcus retired in 2001 to focus on philanthropy.

Established in 2015, the Musser Professorship in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an endowed term professorship that will be filled by experienced and well-known practitioners who have started successful business ventures and are interested in spending a term at the Fox School to lecture, conduct applied research, and mentor students in the early stages of their ventures.

Entrepreneurship is a pillar at Temple University. In November, Fox’s undergraduate- and graduate-level Entrepreneurship programs earned Nos. 8 and 10 national rankings, respectively, by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, one of only five schools nationally to attain two top-10 rankings.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI), which proactively promotes entrepreneurial spirit throughout all 17 schools and colleges at Temple University, is co-sponsoring Marcus’ visit.

To attend, guests must RSVP through the IEI.