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Dalhousie University is positioning itself for a new era in business education by adopting the name of a stalwart champion of the school, Kenneth C. Rowe. On Friday, an official ceremony was held in the Faculty of Management building that already bears his name to unveil the Rowe School of Business logo.

Mr. Rowe, prominent Nova Scotia businessman and executive chairman of IMP Group International, is no stranger to Dalhousie: not only was he the lead donor towards the building that brought together the Faculty of Management’s four schools, but he has served on the School of Business’ Advisory Council for more than 20 years – 10 of them as its chair. In the 1990s when the very existence of the School of Business was under review, Ken Rowe held firm, insisting that the business school was truly important to Dalhousie and Nova Scotia and that it deserved continuing support and expansion.

Last October, Mr. Rowe backed up that opinion with the largest gift ever made to Dalhousie by a Nova Scotian, $15 million. His intent in making the gift was to challenge the School of Business to transform itself by building upon its established record of excellence to better prepare students for competing on the world stage.  At that time, Mr. Rowe rebuffed the university president’s offer to name the School after him, saying that his gift was “a challenge to the faculty, not just to stick a name on a building.”

 “Almost the day I arrived on campus, Ken immediately impressed on me the importance of maintaining and strengthening business education at Dalhousie – a point on which, I’m happy to say, we totally agreed,” explained President Tom Traves. “And ever since that day, over the years, Ken has worked steadily, vigorously, to support and encourage the development of our School of Business.”

"Dr. Rowe's support and advice along with his generous gift are already showing results. Faculty, students and staff are energised, working hard, and producing results that would not have been possible without this support," said Peggy Cunningham, Dean Faculty of Management.

Students and school representatives speaking at the naming ceremony supported President Traves official remarks with their own reasons for insisting that Mr. Rowe accept the honour.

At a key moment in the ceremony, paper airplanes that carried the story of Mr. Rowe’s competitive spirit showered the gathering. The story included a quote that summed up the rationale for naming the school after Mr. Rowe: "Ken Rowe is an extraordinarily successful business person who, over more than 20 years of involvement, has been generous enough to share his knowledge and global perspective with the Dalhousie School of Business. His moral advice, support and financial generosity have played a critical role in shaping how the business school looks today and in the future. From his value-based management approach to his spirit of hard work and persistence, our students have much to learn from Ken Rowe," said Philip Rosson, Professor Emeritus and former Dean (1994-1999).

Find out more

• Read more about Kenneth C. Rowe
• Read the Dal News story