Marshall University on Tuesday received the eighth installment in a series of $100,000 gifts from BB&T supporting the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism at MU’s College of Business.
David L. Helmer, Senior Vice President and Regional Corporate Banking Manager for BB&T, presented the latest check of $100,000 to Dr. Ron Area, CEO of the MU Foundation Inc.; Dr. Haiyang Chen, dean of the College of Business, and Dr. Deanna Mader, recently appointed director of the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism, during a brief ceremony in the MU Foundation Hall, Home of the Erickson Alumni Center.
This gift brings to $800,000 the total amount given by BB&T since an entrepreneurial program called the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism was established in 2008.
The BB&T Center sponsors a lecture series and an upper-division course in capitalism for business students, among other activities.
“We are very appreciative of the continued support from the BB&T Foundation and their investment in this center,” Area said. “We are very proud to have the BB&T Center on our campus and we look forward to its continued success.”
Chen said, “We appreciate the BB&T Charitable Foundation’s support for the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism in the College of Business. The funding has significantly enhanced our ability to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of American capitalism and entrepreneurship. We are very proud to partner with the BB&T Charitable Foundation and are looking forward to continuing this partnership and working together to build future success for our students and the public.”
Moving forward, Chen said, the BB&T Center will continue to play an essential role at Marshall University.
“One of the top priorities for Marshall University and the college is to strategically invest in high-demand degree programs,” Chen said. “We have an ambitious plan to develop a full degree program of innovation and entrepreneurship. To accomplish this goal and others required by the BB&T grant, I have appointed Dr. Deanna Mader, the former Senior Associate Dean, as the new director of the BB&T Center. Dr. Mader has decades of experience in teaching, research and service in the college in the field of marketing, e-commerce and innovative pedagogy. Additionally, she has administrative experience leading the college since 2011. As she stepped down from the Senior Associate Dean position on June 30, 2015, I want to take this opportunity to thank her for her dedication and contributions to the college.”
Mader described the support of BB&T as “wonderful” and “tremendous.”
“We are very honored and extremely grateful for their assistance,” Mader said. “With the center moving forward, we are very excited about the possibilities for the future.”
