Elon parents Steve and Dayna Anderson have stepped forward to generously support Richard W. Sankey Hall and the continued growth of Elon’s top-50 business school.
Former Parents Council members Steve and Dayna Anderson, of Great Falls, Va., are among the benefactors who have been inspired to support the Sankey Hall project, which represents an important step forward in the progress of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.
“Elon had a huge impact on our son’s life,” said Steve Anderson. “He flourished at Elon and received a terrific education in the Love School of Business with some terrific faculty members and students. We think Elon is a real treasure.” The couple’s son, Brandon, is a 2016 alumnus.
“We are grateful to Steve and Dayna Anderson for their generosity,” said Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business. “Students are front and center for our faculty and staff. Preparing our students to be informed global citizens and leaders is very important to us, and I am delighted when parents like Steve and Dayna acknowledge the contributions of our faculty and staff.”
Changing lives through philanthropy
In making their gift, the Andersons praised the commitment of the Love School of Business and the university as a whole to global engagement. Brandon Anderson majored in finance and minored in accounting and political science. He participated in several study abroad opportunities while at Elon, including spending a semester in London that included an internship and studying in Asia with other students in the Love School.
“It really gave him a global perspective, and he developed confidence in his abilities to compete and succeed in a competitive world,” Steve Anderson said. “Elon’s goal of giving every student the opportunity to study abroad is so profound and so important.”
Anderson, who serves as president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, said his family has been impressed by the growth of the Love School of Business and wanted to be part of its continued ascent by supporting construction of Sankey Hall.
“The growing stature of the Love School of Business is extraordinary when you look at how far it’s come in a short period of time,” Anderson said.
Anderson added that his family feels good about investing in the university. “Elon’s the kind of place where you’re not just changing the life of one student, you’re changing the lives of this generation and the people who will follow.”
Richard W. Sankey Hall
Alumni and parents have made generous commitments to help reach the $8 million goal for Richard W. Sankey Hall. The three-story, 30,000-square-foot facility will accommodate the significant growth of the Love School of Business, which is located in the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center and 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 innovative 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.