Thursday, March 28, 2024

Generous gift

The new business building will keep U competitive

The donor who gave money to help fund a new center for the business college should be congratulated for the generous gift.

An anonymous donor contributed $8 million toward the soon-to-be completed Executive Development Center. There was also a call to name the center after Jim Henry, who stepped down as dean of the Eli Broad College of Business and the Eli Broad Graduate School in November.

Henry was part of the original planning for the center. He worked for five years - traveling more than 350,000 miles and raising more than $80 million to support growth in the business college.

The 98,000-square foot facility, set to open in the fall, will contain two 100-seat high-technology amphitheaters, two 48-seat tiered-seating classrooms, 23 break-out rooms that seat between eight and 48 people, a dining area for up to 320 people and a boardroom-style meeting room.

The anonymous donor should be honored for their generosity to help further higher education. An action like this is noble and should be recognized, if only by using the money to its full and most beneficial potential.

This new facility will help to keep the business college competitive. Eighteen of the 20 top business schools in the country have similar facilities. With a comparable complex, MSU’s business college will continue to rank among the top schools in the country.

The new center will benefit the business college and the university as a whole. The center will house a number of new master’s of science programs and university-wide executive-style training and development programs. This will not only bring recognition to the college but to the university through increased enrollment and improved reputation.

Business majors will also benefit from expanded resources in their college. This raises the bar in an already well-performing program. The college should continue to strive for increased excellence and not remain idle, resting on its laurels.

It is fitting to name the center after Henry. He has obviously done an enormous amount of work and garnered a great deal of support for the college. His efforts in large part helped fund and make this complex a reality.

In a special meeting Tuesday morning, the MSU Board of Trustees accepted the donation and approved the re-naming of the center. The board should be congratulated for its support of the center and its help in honoring a champion of the business college.

The new center will benefit the business college and university in many ways. The decision to honor former dean Henry by naming the facility in his honor is fitting and well deserved. The generosity of the anonymous donor should be honored by using the money to make this facility the best this money can buy.

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