With the tug of a rope, a white tarp vanished and Ronald W. Gregoire Hall was officially unveiled in a dedication ceremony on April 16 at the College of Business Administration.
Gregoire Hall is the first donor-named academic building on campus. The naming of a building or college has been reserved for a select few that have made profound contributions to Cal Poly Pomona: W.K. Kellogg, Darlene May, and Jim and Carol Collins.
“I truly believe that the great education I received here played a big part in my business successes,” Gregoire, a 1971 accounting alumnus who was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2014, told the audience. “That’s why I invested so much in this very important project.”
University President Soraya M. Coley and College of Business Administration Dean Richard Lapidus praised Gregoire for his generosity and commitment.
“Business, technology and society are constantly changing, and our job is to prepare students for those changes,” Coley said. “If our graduates are to continue to be in high demand, they need to have access to the best learning environments we can offer.”
Jennifer Chow, a senior business major in marketing management, cited how the business complex has impacted her education.
“Throughout my years here, I’ve had many classes in different buildings around campus and I can truthfully say that out of all the buildings this one has offered me the most in terms of learning experiences,” Chow said.
Gregoire’s efforts on behalf of the college have not ended with the unveiling of the building name. At the ceremony, Gregoire reissued his $1.5-million challenge to alumni and supporters. Contributions will go toward the remaining project funding goal of $900,000 and the rest will establish a building enhancement endowment.
A website, www.gregoirechallenge.org, has been created to help donors learn more about the challenge.