A $23 million business school building is UMD’s latest project
July 26, 2006
Duluth News Tribune
Steve Kuchera
When Duluth natives Joel and Sharon Labovitz donated $4.5 million to the University of Minnesota Duluth three years ago, they hoped the gift would spur support for a new home for the business school.
Their hope has come to fruition. UMD will hold a groundbreaking ceremony today for the $23 million Labovitz School of Business and Economics building.
It will be the fifth new building and the eighth major construction project at UMD since 2000. The other buildings include the UMD Library, Weber Music Hall, the James I. Swenson Science Building and the Robert W. Bridges Fleet/Maintenance Facility.
The Labovitzes will attend the 11 a.m. ceremony with area lawmakers and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose backing helped secure $15.3 million in state money for the project.
"We're absolutely ecstatic," Joel Labovitz said. "We're so lucky we can do this, and are grateful for the privilege of being able to help."
Joel Labovitz, 78, owned the Maurices clothing store chain and now owns and manages commercial properties. He's a 1949 UMD graduate in business administration and a senior fellow at the university. Beginning in 1984, he created and taught a UMD course on entrepreneurship.
Sharon Labovitz, 71, also attended UMD and the couple's son, Mark, graduated from the university.
With the family connections to UMD, it seemed natural to donate to the university, Joel Labovitz said.
"It's pretty clear we have a fine school here that needs a good building," he said. "There is every reason to feel that this a constructive use of money and we were lucky enough to be able to do this. Having a great school is a long-term legacy."
The Labovitz's donation is the second-largest gift UMD has ever received. The largest -- a $7.5 million donation that Superior native Jim Swenson made in 1999 -- helped secure state money for the $33 million science building named for Swenson, which opened last year.
It would have been much harder to sell the idea of building a new school of business and economics to lawmakers without the Labovitz donation, UMD Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin said.
"I think the Legislature values a donor's sense of the importance of a project," she said. "We are fortunate to have had the generosity of the Labovitzes."
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July 19, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL
Each of three gubernatorial candidates will give a major policy address at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs as part of the Candidate Forum sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG). Gov. Tim Pawlenty (GOP), Attorney General Mike Hatch (DFL), and Peter Hutchinson (IP) will address a major policy issue of their choice, after which they will take part in an open question and answer session with the audience. All events will take place in Cowles Auditorium.
Details on each event are as follows:
Tuesday, July 25—Gov. Tim Pawlenty (GOP) will give a public policy address on “Education: Funding, Improvements, and Accountability for Results” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 9—Attorney General Mike Hatch will speak on “Affordability and Availability of Health Care” from noon to 1:30 p.m. A complimentary light lunch will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 10—Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson will address “The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. A complimentary continental breakfast will be available starting at 8 a.m.
The candidate speeches are part of the Candidate Forum, a series of policy talks by candidates for public office. Sponsored by CSPG, the Candidate Forum is an effort to nurture substantive discussion on major issues. As part of the series, Amy Klobuchar (DFL–endorsed candidate) spoke at the Humphrey Institute in June and Mark Kennedy (GOP–endorsed candidate) will speak August 22.
All presentations are free and open to the public. No registration is required. For more information, contact Ellen Tveit at (612) 625-8330 or tvei0002@umn.edu.
What: Policy speeches from GOP, DFL, and IP gubernatorial candidates
When: 10:30–11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 25—Tim Pawlenty (GOP)
Noon–1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9—Mike Hatch (DFL)
8:30–10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 10—Peter Hutchinson (IP)
Where: Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
Contacts: Jamie Proulx, Humphrey Institute, (612) 625-9436
Mike Krueger, Pawlenty for Governor, (651) 905-0555
Kari Erickson, Mike Hatch for Governor, (651) 221-0881
Melenie Soucheray, Peter Hutchinson for Minnesota, (612) 235-4172