Business School Holds Visionary Event for New Space
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Divina Grossman, Charlton College of Business Dean A. "Guna" Gunasekaran, Ph.D., and the Charlton family, were joined by members of the UMass Dartmouth community today at the unveiling of a vision for the newest addition to the business school.
"The expansion will continue UMass Dartmouth's mission of providing southeastern Massachusetts with one of the finest business schools in New England and the nation," said Chancellor Grossman. "We must invest in our student's success to promote growth and opportunity as our students develop and build upon their business education."
The proposed expansion to the Charlton College of Business will provide new spaces for technology labs, discussion groups, and "smart" classrooms, all to enhance and broaden education. Among the highlights are flexible learning spaces to accommodate various uses, several "smart" classrooms, with sophisticated technology in varied forms, and dedicated areas for group study, for graduate students' group projects.
"At the essence of our commitment to ensuring a world class education to our students is expanding opportunities for growth and scholarship," said Dean Gunasekaran. "The new space will further cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit that lies within the students and faculty of Charlton College of Business."
UMass Dartmouth rolled out the red carpet for the business school's biggest supporters for the viewing of a movie presentation about the Charlton Legacy and the Charlton College of Business. Following the movie, guests proceeded outside for the unveiling of a banner celebrating the future of the college of business.
The UMass Dartmouth Charlton College of Business received a $3 million commitment from the Charlton Family Trust in October 2008. Under the terms of the commitment, $1.5 million was designated as a matching gift, creating an incentive for Charlton College alumni, friends, and corporate partners to participate in the fundraising campaign. The campaign is in its final phase of fundraising and is hopeful to break ground in two years.
"One of the most important and obvious things that is needed to make the Charlton College of Business complete, is to combine the entire college in one location on the campus, with five to seven new classrooms," said Earle P. "Chuck" Charlton II. "This will ensure our students will be near their instructors and both students and their faculty will not have to walk across to the other side of the campus to interconnect with each other."
Chuck Charlton is the grandson of Earle P. Charlton, for whom the college is named. Mr. Charlton was the successful entrepreneur who founded the E.P. Charlton & Co. 5 & 10 Cent store, starting with one outlet in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1890 and developing it into a major chain of 53 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. His endeavor was an integral part of what would become the worldwide Woolworth's enterprise.
"Support for the expansion of the Charlton College of Business is vital to the future success of our students," said Robert S. Karam, Principal of Karam Financial Group and Chair of the expansion campaign. "We are grateful to the Charlton family for their generous support and commitment to the further development of our business school. Now is the time we build upon that support and provide our students with the resources necessary to remain competitive in the innovation driven business community."
Charlton College of Business has been recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the 290 Best Business Colleges in the U.S. and by U.S. News & World Report as both one of the Best Colleges of Business and Business Graduate Schools in the country. The Charlton College of Business is committed to serving the needs of the business community on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts and across the state, while creating opportunities for its students to learn, grow, and succeed. Named in honor of retail giant Earle P. Charlton, the business school embodies his focus on quality, ethical principles, and a driving entrepreneurial spirit. The faculty represents the highest measure of this quality in their scholarship, teaching, and service.