10-20-98
FIRST TWO FISHER COLLEGE BUILDINGS DEDICATED
COLUMBUS -- The largest multibuilding project ever
undertaken in The Ohio State University’s history is well under
way with the completion of the first two buildings of the six-
building Fisher College of Business campus.
Fisher Hall, which houses the college’s administrative and
faculty offices, and Gerlach Hall, containing graduate program
facilities, were dedicated during two days of related events,
Oct. 20-21.
The two buildings are the first to be occupied in the
370,000-square-foot, $120 million complex begun in 1996 along
Woodruff Avenue on the northern edge of the Columbus campus.
When completed in 2001, the Fisher College of Business will be
one of the few fully integrated business campuses in the country.
The college will feature full satellite uplink capabilities,
video on demand, and nearly 3,000 computer ports. A media room
will monitor international financial news and meeting rooms will
be equipped with sophisticated instructional technology. An
additional feature of the complex is the original artwork created
by regional and national artists.
Future buildings include Schoenbaum Hall, the undergraduate
program building; the Business Resource Center; Pfahl Hall, the
executive education building; and the 120-room Executive
Residence.
Ceremonies surrounding the dedication honored Detroit
industrialist and noted philanthropist Max M. Fisher, a 1930
graduate of Ohio State, and the late John B. “Bernie” Gerlach,
Sr., former Ohio State Foundation Board chair and prominent
Columbus businessman. Fisher’s $20 million commitment to Ohio
State’s business school as part of the university’s ongoing
“Affirm Thy Friendship” campaign was the largest gift ever
received by the university for an academic unit. In recognition,
the college was designated the Max M. Fisher College of Business
in 1993.
“We are especially pleased to have Ohio State linked with
these two visionary leaders,” said university President William
E. Kirwan. “Their commitment to business education in the 21st
century and to Ohio State’s presence among the top business
schools in the nation will have far-reaching effects as the
university continues to build global partnerships.”
The Fisher College of Business will be home to the Fisher
Council on Global Trade and Technology, funded by Leslie H.
Wexner, emeritus chair of the Ohio State Board of Trustees and
chair of The Limited, Inc., and his wife, Abigail, in honor of
Fisher. The council, announced during the dedication events,
will provide students at the Fisher College with experiences in
international trade and technology. World-class experts will
offer lectures, seminars and research opportunities to the
university in close interaction with students, faculty and
business leaders.
“Because of the generosity of business leaders, such as Mr.
Fisher, Mr. Gerlach and Mr. Wexner, Ohio State is well on the way
to true international distinction in management education,” said
Joseph A. Alutto, dean of the Fisher College. “We will be able
to offer our students, as well as business executives from around
the world, the finest state-of-the-art classroom, computer,
library and residential facilities.”
Gerlach Hall’s stock market classroom was showcased
Wednesday during the dedication when Fisher, Wexner, Alutto and
Kirwan participated in an interactive program with current MBA
students and recent Fisher College alumni in international
locations. The Columbus participants were able to make a
student-recommended stock trade in New York via satellite and
Pictel links. The classroom houses the Student Investment
Management Class, a program in which Fisher students have
successfully invested a portion of the university’s endowment
fund in the stock market.
An opening symposium featuring keynote addresses by Carla A.
Hills, former U.S. trade representative, and Peter Ueberroth,
former Major League Baseball commissioner and organizer of the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics, kicked off the ceremonies Tuesday in
Mershon Auditorium. Hills, an expert on international trade and
investment, spoke on “Global Trade and Investment: the Importance
of Open Global Markets.” Ueberroth, now investor and managing
director of a business management company called The Contrarian
Group, Inc., focused on “The Entrepreneurial Spirit: From Global
Business to the Classroom.”
The dedication ceremony on Wednesday, held outdoors between
Fisher and Gerlach halls, featured remarks by Gov. George V.
Voinovich, President Kirwan, Board of Trustees Chair Ted Celeste,
Wexner, and Alutto. Special acknowledgment was made of Fisher
and Dareth Gerlach, widow of John B. Gerlach.
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Contact: Joseph A. Alutto, Fisher College, (614) 292-2666
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The Fisher Council On Global Trade And Technology
The Fisher Council on Global Trade and Technology, a newly
funded program designed to complement the academic excellence of the
Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, is being
created to honor Max Fisher on the occasion of the dedication of
the Fisher Faculty and Administration Building, October 21, 1998.
The Fisher Council will be shaped by an international
committee of distinguished business leaders and the Fisher College
faculty. Leslie H. Wexner, Chairman of The Limited, Inc., and
Chairman Emeritus of The Ohio State University Board of Trustees,
and his wife, Abigail, have funded the new Fisher Council with
a personal $1 million contribution.
The Fisher Council on Global Trade and Technology will provide
students at the Fisher College with experiences in global trade and
technology and will uniquely position the college as a center for
international finance and management. World-class experts will offer
lectures, seminars and research opportunities to the university in
close interaction with students, faculty and business leaders.
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*For more background on the college and its buildings, please
call Melissa Lamb Peale, (614) 292-8022.