Simon School is awarded $4 million gift

Gleason Foundation's gift will be used for a new wing

The planned 38,000-square-foot wing, which will increase usable space in the building by nearly 60 percent, will house five new classrooms, up to 16 study rooms, and a significantly expanded Career Services suite, including eight dedicated interview rooms.

"This addition is critical to the long-term success of the Simon School," stated Dean Charles Plosser. "In the nine years since we dedicated Schlegel Hall, our enrollment and program growth has far exceeded expectations. The new wing will adequately address current space constraints and provide for the classroom needs of approximately the next 20 years."

The planned addition also is, according to Plosser, a key element in achieving the goals of "The Path to Excellence," a school-wide response to the challenge of remaining globally competitive. "We gratefully acknowledge the confidence expressed by the Gleason Foundation in our future service both to the Rochester and global business communities," he said.

James Gleason, president and director of the Rochester-based Gleason Foundation, said the gift is intended to help the Simon School remain a leader in defining excellence in management and in training managers capable of achieving that excellence. "The Gleason Foundation believes that individuals, given the educational tools and the freedom to pursue their own best interests, will achieve this excellence," said Gleason. "The leadership gift is an appropriate means of demonstrating our commitment to this philosophy."

The foundation has long been a supporter of the University and the Simon School, where it has funded capital projects, faculty support, curriculum development, and research.

University President Thomas Jackson noted that "the continuing generous support of the Gleason Foundation for the University and its various divisions is gratifying. We certainly welcome this latest opportunity to enhance the excellence of the Simon School."

The building program will cost $8.9 million, most of which is expected to be raised through broad support from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Funds also will be used to enlarge the Executive Development Program's area and expand critical technology infrastructure in Schlegel Hall. The Boston-based architectural firm Shepley Bullfinch Richardson and Abbott will design and oversee construction of the new wing, as it did with Schlegel Hall a decade ago. Completion is scheduled for June 2001.

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