CAMPUS BUILDINGS, COLLEGES AND SITES
Coggin College of Business

Good morning. Over the past several years, I have come to know Blanche and Luther Coggin well. Their character and integrity, their strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, their love for people, both the young and the elderly, and their passion for excellence make them perfect role models for our students and our faculty. Luther and Blanche, we are grateful for the confidence you have placed in us by making this investment and for letting us use your name to promote the University and the College.

Dr. Kline is correct when he calls this gift "transformational." The $10 million will be divided into three broad categories: 1) $4 million for merit-based scholarships; $3 million of which will be for outstanding undergraduate students and $1 million for graduate fellowships. In addition to paying tuition, and other related expenses such as books, housing, and meals, these scholarships will also enable students to take full advantage of opportunities for international educational experiences. A portion of the undergraduate scholarships is earmarked for the Pathways Program, an innovative need-based scholarship program. I am very grateful to David Hicks for his guidance and involvement in making this a reality. 2) $4 million will be allocated to endowments for outstanding faculty in strategic areas, such as international business, logistics and leadership. (Luther and Blanche, I am moved almost beyond words by your generosity in attaching my name to one of the professorships. It is an honor I have never even dreamed of.) These scholarships and professorships are essential if the Coggin College of Business Administration is to develop a strong national reputation. In today's competitive environment, you simply cannot attract the best students and faculty without this financial support. 3) $2 million of the gift is earmarked for an endowment for the dean of the Coggin College. Unlike most such endowments, this endowment cannot be used as a salary stipend for the dean. Rather, it will provide venture capital for the dean to use to support teaching and research enhancements for the students and faculty of the Coggin College. It will enable the dean to be entrepreneurial, to take full advantage of opportunities to enhance the educational experience of our students. Of equal importance to the financial impact is the association of the Coggin name with our college. Throughout the state of Florida, the Coggin name is associated with quality and integrity.

We must now capitalize on this to develop a national brand image for the Coggin College of Business Administration, one that is associated with national- and world-class academic programs, students and faculty. Practically every major business school in the country has successfully developed its national and international brand image with a named college.

You may ask, why are we interested in doing all of this? Is the goal just to develop a national or international reputation? No, our goal remains the same as it has always been: to provide the greater Jacksonville business community with the best management and leadership talent possible to promote the economic development of our region and improve our quality of life. In doing this, we will also be preparing our graduates for careers anywhere in the world.

So, Blanche and Luther, your gift will truly be "transformational" to this College and the University, in many ways, our work is just beginning and we have many challenges ahead of us. I am confident that over the next decade, the cumulative impact of your investment on the College, the University and the community will be amazing, and this will be one of the best investments you ever made. On behalf of all of our students and faculty, THANK YOU!

Before I sit down, I need to acknowledge that there are many people that have helped get us here today. Many thanks to Pierre Allaire and Elizabeth Head, to David Kline, Anne Hopkins and Adam Herbert, to Alex Castaneda and Martha Stachitas, to David Hicks, Charlie Tomm and O'Neal Douglas, and always to my wife, Ann. But most of all, I wish to thank the faculty of the Coggin College of Business Administration and the members of our Business Advisory Council. Two faculty, in particular, the two Jeffs, Jeff Michelman and Jeff Steagall deserve special recognition. They always find a way to support and implement every idea I have and every commitment I make, and keep pushing me with ideas of their own to improve the college. The dedication and excellence of all of these folks are the real reason, I believe, that this is such an attractive investment and that the future is so bright. Thank you very much.

By the way, Luther and I have some commemorative business cards with the new Coggin College of Business Administration logo on it. Please ask us for one.