Raymond J. Harbert College of Business case statement

RAYMOND J. HARBERT COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

O

ur vision is clear and unwavering — to be regarded as one of the elite public business schools in the country.

Because This is Auburn is a $1 billion campaign to propel our university forward through a renewed commitment to our students, a continued promise to our state, and a shared responsibility to the world. As part of the overall campaign, the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business has committed to raise $100 million in support of its vision.

We still have work to do — the kind of “hard work” on which Auburn people pride themselves. While we are proud of who we are, we also are energized by the possibilities of what we can become.

By increasing our research capacity, we can improve industry practice. Offering new international programs of study will create life-changing experiences for students. Recruiting and retaining faculty through new endowed chairs and professorships and debuting a Graduate School of Business building — the hallmark of a growing Harbert College sector of campus — will help the college take the next step. We invite you to invest in our future success. A stronger, better Harbert College will be the ultimate return on your generosity.

TOTAL GOAL FOR THE RAYMOND J. HARBERT COLLEGE OF BUSINESS:

$100 million

“We have a mission — an obligation — to drive business thought and practice, creating possibilities and solving problems through our scholarship, research, and outreach. We offer the benefit of being able to see over time and distance, to look ahead to the next year or decade rather than the next quarter.”

— Bill C. Hardgrave

Dean and Wells Fargo Professor, Harbert College of Business

PRIORITIES

for the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business It’s no wonder our alumni have distinguished themselves as business leaders on nearly every continent. Our graduates understand the global marketplace. Through this campaign, we will add new dimensions to students’ professional development by expanding international study abroad opportunities and creating a new studentmanaged investment fund.

Investing for the future is a common concept in the business world and in the Harbert College. Nearly 80 percent of our goal focuses on endowments — a critical element in becoming one of the nation’s elite public business schools. Through strengthened endowments and the perpetual funding they create, donors will play a vital role in preparing students for an ever-evolving global marketplace. Our students will benefit from newly developed academic programs, research centers providing hands-on experience, and enhanced classroom technology.

Students

$13,000,000

Faculty

$32,000,000

Programs

$54,000,000

Facilities

$1,000,000

8

NEW PROFESSORSHIPS

to generate “thought leadership” and reward teaching excellence

13

ENDOWED CHAIRS

to recruit and retain top faculty

100

NEW ENDOWED FUNDS FOR EXCELLENCE

to enhance international study, internship experiences, student competitions, and a student-managed investment fund

$79.5 MILLION

in endowed support, which potentially will generate nearly $3.2 million a year in perpetuity when fully invested

Students It doesn’t matter if their career aspirations focus squarely on Main Street or Wall Street, our students consistently stand out to prospective employers for their collective understanding of the global marketplace. International study abroad opportunities allow students to experience new cultures and see successful multinational corporations from the inside while studying and working in 14 international locations across eight countries. In addition, internships with top companies often lead our students to full-time job offers before graduation. We’re serious about our mission of producing “highly desired graduates.” So much so that our supply chain management program is one of only two nationally to require internships before graduation.

Your support will create more pathways for success by making these experiences — as well as increased access to PhD fellowships and scholarships to attract undergraduate minority students, honors students, and National Merit Scholars — accessible to more students in every Harbert College discipline.

$10.5 million, undergraduate scholarships $2.5 million, graduate fellowships

Programs

Faculty

Facilities

We build important mutually beneficial relationships with our industry partners. We inform them, but we also are informed by them. We solve problems and inspire new ways of thinking through our research and outreach centers, including the RFID Lab at Auburn University. We offer knowledge and resources to help companies operate more ethically, strategically, and profitably. No matter the line of inquiry, we’re intent on producing knowledge that drives industry thought and practice. In addition to strengthening our research capacity, your investment in our programs will advance our diversity efforts and fund student-led start-ups.

More than a few of our faculty are considered experts in their respective disciplines. You may have seen Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance Jim Barth on TV discussing banking reform. Or perhaps you remember being challenged and inspired by professors like Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award winner Brian Connelly.

Endowed professorships allow us to attract and keep rising stars like Connelly, Rafay Ishfaq, and Kerry Inger; endowed chairs allow us to recruit and retain more top faculty by supporting their research and honoring excellence.

In order to fulfill our vision of being an elite public business school, we have to look the part.

Campaign support will enhance the spaces where students learn and collaborate by adding the latest instructional technologies and the ability to be adaptive to new learning and teaching styles.

Our broader vision entails $25 million in support beyond our campaign goal to realize a bold Harbert College campus plan, which will include a new plaza and concourse, and culminate in a Graduate School of Business building that offers flexible space for research, outreach, and graduate programs.

$28.5 million, academic support

$30.0 million, endowed professorships and chairs

$20.0 million, research support

$2.0 million, direct faculty

$5.5 million, direct student support

support

$1.0 million, learning environment upgrades

Your gift to Auburn has

REAL IMPACT

This past summer, I was fortunate enough

completed five years of Chinese and

to go on a study abroad internship to

have a minor in Asian Studies. That being

Chengdu, China, where I worked for

said, the most meaningful aspect for me

Chevron Corporation for six weeks. I

was seeing all of my classroom learning

had the time of my life. My typical day

and hard work really come to life before

went from waking up in our villa and

my eyes and having the opportunity to

hopping on a coach bus for the hour-

practice my Chinese when I wished. This

long commute to the city, to working in a

kind of experience has helped show me

corporate office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

what the dynamic of an office is like, how

with an hour lunch break to eat traditional

day-to-day operations run, and how to

and local Chinese food. I had a little bit of

think analytically.

an advantage because I had previously

“...the most meaningful aspect for me was seeing all of my classroom learning and hard work really come to life before my eyes...”

—Seamus Hill

Senior, Finance

ABOUT THE HARBERTS’ TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFT Raymond ’82 and Kathryn ’81 Harbert’s transformational, $40 million philanthropic commitment in 2013 will enhance the college’s capabilities to shape business thought and practice by: • creating additional eminent scholar and endowed chairs in finance, business analytics, and supply chain management; • establishing the Harbert Investments Center to research securities and wealth creation, as well as a supply chain management research institute;

“We hope our support will enable more Harbert College of Business students...to be successful leaders in today’s global economy.”

• forming a doctoral program in finance; and • enhancing instructional technologies and classroom facilities.

A portion of the Harberts’ commitment includes a $15 million matching gift challenging other graduates and friends of the college to help it build momentum through the campaign.

We’re strong believers in the value of higher education and are pleased to be in a position where we can help others further their education.

We’re supportive of international opportunities because technology has enabled commerce and business to evolve to the point where the economies of countries in today’s world interact on a global scale.

Auburn, like other universities, recognizes the need for international study as an important element in today’s business education. We’re happy to join other donors in supporting international study opportunities to enable Auburn graduates to be competitive in today’s job market. We hope our support will enable more Harbert College of Business students to gain a better appreciation of the cultural and economic diversity outside the United States and help prepare them to be successful leaders in today’s global economy. My wife Marge and I would encourage anyone considering some form of support to engage with Dean Hardgrave and his staff, understand their needs, and then invest in something that resonates with them.

—Lou Bifano

Father of Megan Bifano, a junior majoring in Marketing

“It is extremely gratifying to have this opportunity to help move Auburn forward. I have always felt that college was a place to explore and find out who you are, and I hope this gift will allow Auburn to seek out professors who will challenge the students to be the best they can be.”

— Raymond Harbert ’82

Raymond J. Harbert College of Business 405 W. Magnolia Ave., Auburn, Alabama 36849 (334) 844-1387 | cobdevelopment@auburn.edu harbert.auburn.edu B E C AU S E@AU B U R N . E D U | B E C AU S E . AU B U R N . E D U Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.