Oct. 4, 2006
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| Gary Tharaldson (center, right) and his wife Connie joined students at the future site of the Gary Tharaldson School of Business and Technology, following a press conference Oct. 4, on the University of Mary campus. |
Bismarck, ND--The University of Mary, America's Leadership University, proudly announces its new School of Business will be named for Gary Tharaldson, a North Dakota entrepreneur known as an outstanding innovator and leader in hotel management and development.
"Gary Tharaldson is the embodiment of a world-class entrepreneur," stated University of Mary President Sister Thomas Welder. "His calculated risk-taking, savvy business instincts, zero fear of failure and values-based leadership is a model for all our students aspiring to be business leaders and entrepreneurs."
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| Gary Tharaldson, leader and innovator in the hospitality industry, expressed his anticipation and excitement about lending his name and support to the University of Mary's Gary Tharaldson School of Business and Technology.. |
"The University of Mary has long enjoyed a strong and vibrant relationship with the business community, and the debut of the Tharaldson School of Business, is taking this important connection to a new level," stated Tharaldson School Dean Martin White. "As the university continues to expand and enhance its partnerships with business on the local, state and national level, the Tharaldson School, as envisioned, will be a flagship facility, providing state-of-the-art tools to assist in attracting and developing students as business leaders, in conjunction with its community partners. We are privileged that such a well-respected leader in commerce as Gary Tharaldson, who models the emphasis on values and ethics that distinguishes U-Mary's approach to leadership, has lent his name to this new centerpiece of the community."
The home of the Gary Tharaldson School of Business will be a new state-of-the-art 29,000-square-foot building, complemented by the current 15,000-square-foot facilities of the Harold Schafer Leadership Center. This facility will provide the physical architecture needed to deliver team-based, innovative world-class education for today's student business leaders.
"This new School of Business, with my name on it, is not about me, but about the development of highly motivated and intelligent students who want something more for themselves and North Dakota," stated Tharaldson. "This School of Business is critical to the continued economic growth of our state. I am confident the University of Mary, as America's Leadership University, one of the premier schools in the country, will create a successful environment for students and a catalyst for the entrepreneurial spirit that is ethical and values-based
The Tharaldson Lodging Company is the nation's largest independent hotel management and development company. It manages over 330 limited and extended service properties in 31 states. According to Hotel and Resort Industry magazine, Gary Tharaldson has emerged as the "modern guru for the United States motel development and management industry."
Currently there are approximately 300 business majors at the University of Mary. The goal of the Tharaldson School of Business and Technology is for this number to grow to 450 within the next three years, to include 100 Harold Schafer Emerging Leaders Academy business students in the freshman class.
Roughly two-thirds of the $8 million fundraising campaign for the Gary Tharaldson School of Business is complete. Approximately $2 million still must be raised to finish the critical public phase of the fundraising campaign that includes money allotted to endowment, scholarships and operations.
The University of Mary will immediately begin making arrangements to bid the project in February of 2007 with the intent of beginning construction in the spring of 2007.
