“Meet me by the horses at two o’clock.”

That phrase, or something similar, is what Robert Mittelstaedt, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, hopes will work its way into conversations in the ASU community.

On Saturday, “Spirit,” a large bronze statue depicting five horses was installed outside of the business school.

The school received the $1.3 million statue as a donation from Morton and Donna Fleischer. Donna Fleischer is an ASU alumna.

Mittelstaedt said Morton Fleischer, who has no connection with ASU aside from his wife, approached the business school and asked if they would like to have the statue.

“The theme of the statue is ‘Spirit,’” Mittelstaedt said. “[Fleischer] believes it symbolizes the spirit of entrepreneurship and enterprise. We are very pleased to have him make that donation to us.”

With its location in front of the business school, Mittelstaedt said he doesn’t think the statue could be more appropriate.

“Entrepreneurship is at the heart of the success of our country and our economy,” he said.

Buck McCain, the sculptor who created the statue, said he shares Mittelstaedt’s sentiment.

“‘Spirit’ was created to represent those ideas which give Americans unlimited possibilities for economic success,” McCain said. “What better place to display such success than at the W. P. Carey School of Business, which is producing tomorrow’s entrepreneurs?”

The statue, which Fleischer commissioned, was completed in 1989. It resided outside the Fleischer Museum in Scottsdale before it was moved to its new home at ASU.

The inspiration behind the creation of Spirit “symbolizes the power of freedom in America, and reminds us that in a free society, there are no limits on the creative possibilities of our ideas,” McCain said.

The statue, which traveled more than 35 miles from the now-defunct museum to ASU, took more than 2 1/2 hours to install.

The landscaping will be completed in about two weeks. A dedication ceremony is planned for sometime after that.

The installation will also feature several plaques that speak to the topics of freedom, art, ideas and spirit.

Adrian Monaco, a management sophomore, said he was pleased with how the statue looked.

“It’s a nice thing to have...especially when you see it when you’re driving by,” Monaco said.

Reach the reporter at benjamin.weitzenkorn@asu.edu.