Elon parent supports Love School of Business expansion with generous gift

Philanthropic support for Richard W. Sankey Hall remains strong following a major gift from Elon Parents Council member Kevin Tedeschi of Duxbury, Mass. Tedeschi said he was excited to support the continued growth of Elon’s top-50 Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.

“I’m very happy with Elon, and my son is very happy,” said Tedeschi, whose son, Ralph, is a junior studying finance. “I think the Love School of Business can get even better, and I thought I’d contribute and help push that along.”

Tedeschi said he has been impressed with the leadership of President Leo M. Lambert and the university’s ability to set and reach ambitious goals, including expanding facilities for the Love School, which is housed in the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center.

“Elon has an idea of what it wants to be and where it wants to go,” Tedeschi said. “Elon has done a very good job managing its growth and moves quicker than a lot of other schools to get things done.”

Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School, thanked Tedeschi for helping to propel business education to new heights at Elon.

“This generous gift will allow the Love School of Business to offer our students a superb learning environment and help students develop into the leaders of tomorrow,” Tadepalli said. “It is especially gratifying to receive this kind of support from Mr. Tedeschi as the parent of a current Love School of Business student.”

Parents and alumni have stepped forward with generous commitments to help reach the $8 million goal for Sankey Hall. The three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility will accommodate the significant growth of the Love School of Business, which has seen its number of majors increase 80 percent during the past decade. About 1,700 Elon students, or approximately 30 percent of the university’s total enrollment, study in one of the school’s undergraduate majors or graduate programs.

Elon parents Jim and Beth Sankey of Charlotte, N.C., made a generous gift to name the facility in honor of Jim’s father, the late Richard W. Sankey. Currently under design, Sankey Hall will be located on the north end of the McMichael Science Center parking lot, adjacent to Colonnades Dining Hall.

In addition to technology infused classrooms and collaborative work spaces, Sankey Hall will house two new academic centers focusing on financial education and design thinking, inspiring students from across Elon’s campus to come together to create solutions to complex challenges. The Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Chandler Family Professional Sales Center will move from Koury Business Center to Sankey Hall, enabling Elon to serve additional students across all academic majors. This move will, in turn, free up much-needed space in Koury Business Center to expand the Porter Family Professional Development Center and Reed Finance Center.

Sankey Hall is one of two new academic facilities being planned as the university continues progress on the Elon Commitment strategic plan. Program planning is also under way for a new building for the physical sciences.