UAlbany Unveils Massry Center for Business

University Names its State-of-the-Art Business Building in Family’s Honor

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 17, 2015) -- The University at Albany today unveiled the signage for its Massry Center for Business, named in honor of the Capital Region’s Massry Family. UAlbany President Robert J. Jones declared that its School of Business building will be named in honor of the family and their longstanding support of the University.

Albany Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan shared a proclamation at the unveiling, naming September 17 Massry Family Day, in honor of the family's generous gift and what it will mean to the community-at-large.

In December 2014, UAlbany announced it had received a $5.25 million gift from the Massry family to support the School of Business and key University-wide initiatives. This is currently the largest gift ever made to UAlbany and is the largest single donation to any institution or cause by one of the area's leading philanthropic families.

"We are proud to name this extraordinary facility for the Massry family in honor of their unprecedented gift," said President Jones. "Their generosity will be felt across this institution as the School of Business strengthens our entrepreneurial ecosystem, and throughout the Capital Region as we prepare graduates with the skills, mindset, and real-world experiences to be the business leaders of the future."

The Massry Center for Business supports the School’s innovative research and collaborative programming with business leaders from every industry. (Photo Mark Schmidt)

"The Massry family has long been a standard-bearer of generosity in the City of Albany, giving repeatedly, especially to our institutions of higher learning," said Albany Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan. "With this gift, they have made one of the top-ranked business schools in the nation significantly stronger, which cannot help but make our city stronger too. We thank the Massrys for their generosity, vision, and above all else, their continued devotion to the City of Albany."

Funded with a state appropriation and private donations from alumni and corporate partners, the Massry Center for Business advances the School’s efforts to promote business, information security, and technological and social entrepreneurship on campus and in the Capital Region. The building houses 24 cutting-edge classrooms, two executive classrooms, Bloomberg terminals and a simulated trading room.

Designed by internationally renowned architects Perkins+Will, the Massry Center for Business supports the School’s innovative research and collaborative programming with business leaders from every industry. The building received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Business Council in March of 2015. Among the innovative programs housed at Center include an undergraduate program in digital forensics -- the first of its kind in New York and only the third such program in the nation.

"As successful entrepreneurs who are dedicated to improving the community in which they live, the Massrys are shining examples for all of our students," said School of Business Dean Donald Siegel. "I am delighted that their legacy will live on through the naming of the Massry Center for Business."

The Massry Lecture Series

In addition to ensuring the new School of Business building remains a state-of-the-art resource, the gift will be used to fund the Massry Lecture Series, conferences, and visiting faculty to enrich the academic experience of School of Business students. The inaugural Massry Lecture, held this past March, featured Benjamin Lawsky, who at the time served as New York’s Superintendent of the Department of Financial Service.

The Massry Community Fellows Program

The Massry’s gift also supports the Massry Community Fellows Program, which funds student internships at local non-profits. The goal of the Massry Fellows Program is to strengthen community service, a hallmark of the Massry family, and public engagement, a core priority of the University. The inaugural Massry Fellows, named in 2015, include Ethan Schek, a senior majoring in management and marketing, and Autumn Henry, a senior public health major.

This past summer, Schek volunteered as an intern in the marketing department at the Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center. A dean’s list student from Clinton Corners, New York, Schek has also volunteered at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he worked with patients from underprivileged areas as well as HIV-positive individuals.

Henry, a dean’s list student from Dansville, New York, volunteered at the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, which seeks to promote ecological literacy and environmental stewardship through educational programs based around demonstrations of sustainable technologies. She has previously named a recipient of the 2014 Citizen Laureate Scholarship and the Edward and Frances Gildea George Endowment scholarship. Henry has also served as an undergraduate research assistant in the Healthy Behaviors Laboratory at the University at Albany, part of the Department of Psychology.

Massry Center for Business and School of Business Accolades

The Massry Center for Business, which opened in August 2013, has been ranked as the fourth most beautiful business school building in the world, higher than facilities at most of America's leading research universities, such as Duke, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, UC-Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan. US News & World Report has ranked UAlbany’s School of Business No. 1 in the country for job placement of full-time MBA students for three consecutive years, while the Princeton Review has ranked UAlbany’s MBA program five times in the top 10 in the nation, including as high as No. 2, for providing "the Greatest Opportunity for Women."

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