Utah State’s College of Business Gets First Endowed Chair

The College of Business’s new $1.25 million George S. Eccles Chair, the first endowed chair in the college, will be a cornerstone of its continuing rise to national prominence.

 

The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation established the chair in the college this summer with a gift of $1.25 million, the largest individual gift in the history of the College of Business.

 

“This is a giant step for the college,” said Dean Caryn Beck-Dudley. “This is the keystone of our vision for creating a school of opportunity and moving Utah State’s College of Business to the next level.”

 

Spencer F. Eccles, president of the Eccles Foundation, said the organization is pleased to help the college meet its goals. “We are delighted to help Utah State’s College of Business further develop its already strong programs in areas related to finance, economics and banking,” he said.

 

Beck-Dudley said the endowed chair position, which will generate annual support for an outstanding faculty member, will allow the college to attract someone with a national reputation. It will boost programs in the college at every level – from undergraduate and graduate student recruitment to faculty research and development.  “We are already strong and getting stronger as a college, but this position can help us build depth in all our programs,” she said.

 

The chair will focus on the areas of finance, economics, and banking; although the exact structure of the position has not been finalized. “There are a lot of possibilities at this point,” Beck-Dudley said. “We’re excited to sit down as a college and plan the best strategic use of this extraordinary investment in the future of the college.”

 

Utah State President Kermit L. Hall said the generosity of the Eccles Foundation grant underscores Utah State’s effort to selectively invest in key areas of the university.

 

“This new chair, the first fully endowed chair in the college’s history, will help us realize one of the major goals of the university: to significantly enhance the national reputation of our College of Business,” Hall said.

 

“We applaud the efforts of President Hall and Dean Beck-Dudley for their plans to meet the needs of students today and in the future,” said Lisa Eccles, executive director of the Eccles Foundation. “A strong business education is key to success in today’s global economy, and we’re excited to play a part in expanding opportunities in this area for the students at Utah State.”

 

Hall and Beck-Dudley both said the endowed chair will dramatically strengthen the college’s ability to reach its vision of becoming a top-ranked business school. The position will bring national and international renown to Utah State and to the late George S. Eccles, after whom the chair is named.

 

Beck-Dudley said the George S. Eccles name is synonymous with business and banking throughout Utah, the West, and the nation. A native of Logan, Utah, George S. Eccles was instrumental in creating the Partners in Business program at Utah State, and he invited and escorted world-class speakers to campus, including Alan Greenspan, so students could learn from the best minds in the business world. The college is housed in the George S. Eccles Business Building at Utah State, named in honor of his generous support during his lifetime.

 

“We want to celebrate George S. Eccles, a man who is an icon of modern institutional banking,” Beck-Dudley said.

 

This first endowed chair is a historic moment for the college, the oldest business school in the West and one of the oldest colleges of business in the nation. Beck-Dudley expects that the position will be attractive to a number of people from across the county.

 

“We’re looking to attract people of the highest caliber who want to live in these beautiful mountains and work with an already highly successful faculty and students,” she said. “An endowed chair such as this allows us to attract the best minds in the nation, respected scholars who have interest in working with dynamic faculty and students.”

 

Contact: Caryn Beck-Dudley, 435-797-2376, caryn.beckdudley@usu.edu

Writer: Tim Vitale, 435-797-1356, tim.vitale@usu.edu