St. Bonaventure recently entered the public phase of a $15 million campaign to construct a 26,000-square-foot building to house its School of Business.
The new center will feature a financial services lab with electronic ticker tape, dean’s suite, corporate boardroom, state-of-the-art classrooms, break-out areas, spaces for student collaboration, team building and faculty research, innovative technology uses, and a commitment to sustainability.
Support from the Rochester area includes gifts from: Jim and Ann Gould (both from the class of 1980); Brian (class of 1974) and Jean (class of 1976) Hickey; John (class of 1958) and Kay Meisch; Art (class of 1968) and Nancy (class of 1969) Roberts; and Bill (class of 1973) and Kathy Woodard.
"The establishment of the St. Bonaventure School of Business is the result of the dedication of the Business faculty to the thousands of students they have educated over the years. Kathy and I are glad to contribute to their efforts,” said Bill Woodard, Vice President of Finance and CFO of Fibertech Networks, LLC.
Construction will begin by June 2012, with the building set to open in fall 2013.
“The new School of Business center is a key element in our overall strategic plan,” said Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., president of the university. “We have seen firsthand the power of new facilities on our campus, and know that investing in this building will position us to better compete for high-quality students and faculty who want to be part of a unique and distinctive scholarly environment."
The $15 million campaign will provide: $10 million for the construction of the new business center; $4 million in endowments for faculty and programmatic support to ensure a vibrant intellectual community; and $1 million for building endowment.
More than $10 million has been raised to date under the leadership of Robert Daugherty, ’77, University trustee and campaign chair.
“We are grateful for the financial commitments that have been made to date,” said Mr. Daugherty, a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. “Now we need the leverage of many. We need the help of our alumni, parents and friends to make this campaign a success.”
St. Bonaventure’s School of Business is one of only 5 percent of business schools worldwide to hold accreditation by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
“We are in demand,” said Carol Fischer, associate dean of the School of Business, adding that some 30 percent of St. Bonaventure’s student body is composed of business majors.
“Our faculty, students and graduates have made the case for this new building,” Dr. Fischer said. “They have demonstrated through academic excellence and through success in the business realm that St. Bonaventure’s School of Business is world-class quality. Reaching our goal in this campaign will enable us to maintain and build upon our traditional strengths, as well as develop new strengths in our distinctive niches such as service learning.”
These gifts are among more than 50 commitments made to the campaign by St. Bonaventure alumni and friends. The university expects to release information about the additional lead donors to the campaign as it continues toward its goal of $15 million.
Donations to the campaign may be made by visiting www.sbu.edu/bullishonbusiness/donate or by calling (800) 664-1273.
For more on the planned Business Center and the School of Business Campaign, go to www.sbu.edu/bullishonbusiness.
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About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them.