|
Alumnus donates $1 million to Ballentine HallThe former chief of PPG Industries Inc. said the University of Rhode Island opened the world to him and his family, and now he has made a $1 million donation that will help future URI students compete in their rapidly changing world. The gift from Vincent A. Sarni will help transform Ballentine Hall into a top-flight business education facility. With the donation, URI has now raised $5.2 million, or 92 percent, of the $5.6 million Shareholders Campaign goal to renovate the home of its College of Business Administration, the state's oldest nationally accredited business college. Built in 1967, the facility will gain a 10,000-square-foot addition, and will be completely renovated both on the interior and exterior. Vincent Sarni, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of PPG Industries Inc., a leading global manufacturer based in Pittsburgh, Pa., is a 1949 accounting graduate of the former Rhode Island State College. "Such a gift is a very significant one for the Ballentine Hall project, and because of that gift and others that Vin has already made to the University, we are proud to name the new wing of the building the Vincent A. Sarni Wing," said URI President Robert L. Carothers. The Sarni Wing will be three stories high and will house the dean's office, department chair offices, and the College of Business Administration Executive Conference Room on the third floor, as well as classrooms and offices on the two lower floors. A plaque in Sarni's honor will be affixed at the Executive MBA classroom. The entire Sarni Wing will be identified on the front of the building facing the Quadrangle on the Kingston Campus, and at the new North Garden entry. Sarni, who has generously supported student scholarships and URI's first Capital Campaign, said he is indebted to the University for the opportunities it provided him and his family. Born in Bayonne, N.J., in 1928, the son of immigrant parents, he moved to Rhode Island when his father relocated to work in Providence. Since the Sarni family beginnings in Rhode Island, eight family members have now graduated from URI including his brothers, Lawrence, a chemical engineer; Robert, a Cranston physician; and his daughter, Louise, a Narragansett Pier School physical education teacher. "There are eight of us who feel gratitude to the University for what it did for us," Sarni said. "URI has had a lasting impact on me, so I feel good about doing whatever I can to help the University." Sarni is also continuing to work with University officials in helping to fund the proposed alumni/advancement center to be constructed on the Kingston Campus. "Vin Sarni's donation will also help the University reach a combined $2 million private fund-raising goal for both the Ballentine and Green Hall building projects," said Robert M. Beagle, vice president for University Advancement. Last fall, the Kresge Foundation awarded the University a $500,000 Kresge Challenge Grant, with the condition that URI raise $2 million for the two building projects by March 2001. The challenge period was for just over 16 months, and after only seven months, the University has raised $1.4 million or 70 percent toward the goal. Sarni retired from PPG Industries in August 1993, concluding a 25-year career with the company. He served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer from 1984 until his retirement. Sarni retired at age 70 from the PPG Industries Board of Directors. During his time at PPG Industries Inc., he headed a world leader in providing innovative materials for manufacturing, construction, automotive, chemical processing and numerous other global industries. PPG operates about 110 major manufacturing sites and seven research and development facilities worldwide. It is a leading producer of automobile coatings and windshields, and also produces well-known consumer products such as Olympic Stains, Pittsburgh Paints, and "Transitions" eyewear. Sarni continues to serve on the boards of LTV Steel, DLJ and the Mueller Holding Co. Sarni was among the first group of individuals inducted into the URI College of Business Administration's Hall of Fame in April 1999. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from URI in 1985. By Dave Lavallee |
|
