ITHACA — Cornell University will use a $10 million donation from an alumnus to endow and name the deanship of its School of Hotel Administration (SHA).

The school announced the gift in a Dec. 12 news release.

Bradley (Brad) Stone, president and partner in Las Vegas, Nev.–based Global Gaming Asset Management, LLC, has committed a $10 million gift for the deanship endowment.

Stone is a 1977 graduate of Cornell’s SHA.

Brad Stone is the “ideal” person for whom the deanship could be named, Michael Johnson, dean and E.M. Statler professor in the School of Hotel Administration, contended in the release.

“Brad is a committed alumnus with an inspiring career in the hospitality industry, and his name will honor the School of Hotel Administration and the position of dean,” Johnson said.

Endowments to name the school’s senior-leadership posts are among the “most important” gifts any university can receive, David Skorton, president of Cornell University, said in the news release. 

“These investments allow us to attract the very best leaders to guide the future of our institution, and they provide critical funds for deans to address foremost priorities,” Skorton said. “Knowing we have the resources to recruit individuals who are singularly qualified to shape the school’s teaching and research enterprise will be of enormous benefit to me, to my successor Elizabeth Garrett, and to future presidents of Cornell.” 

Stone had previously provided financial support to establish the Stone Family Faculty Renewal Fellowship and the Bradley Stone ‘77 Scholarship, the school said. 

Additionally, Stone has served as a two-term member of the dean’s advisory board, and on the Cornell University Council since 2013. 

About Stone
A 1977 graduate of SHA, Stone is in partnership with the former Las Vegas Sands management team of Bill Weidner and Garry Saunders, according to the Cornell news release. 

The company has been conducting joint ventures with Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. in the global gaming, hospitality, and resort sectors, Cornell said. Cantor Fitzgerald is a New York City–based financial-services firm. 

Stone is the former president of global operations and development of Las Vegas Sands Corporation. In that role, he oversaw the design, construction, and operation of some of the world’s “most recognized” casino-resort properties, the school said.

They included the company’s “flagship” hotels — the more than 4,000-suite Venetian Las Vegas and the 3,000-room Palazzo Resort and Casino.

The Palazzo Resort and Casino is also located in Las Vegas.

Stone also played a “key role” in the Las Vegas Sands expansion to global markets. He directed the development of the Sands Macao, the corporation’s first international property, and the first U.S.-operated facility in the People’s Republic of China, Cornell said. 

Cornell described the opening of the $2.4 billion Venetian Macao as “perhaps his biggest professional milestone.” 

The 10.5-million-square-foot facility has been dubbed the “largest hotel in the world.” 

In addition, Stone oversaw the ongoing development of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Eastern Pennsylvania and the “iconic” Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. 

He also played a “key role” in the company’s financing and future international and domestic developments, according to Cornell. 

Stone is currently overseeing the management of the Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, the flagship of the largest destination-resort complex in the Bahamas, scheduled to open in the spring of 2015.       

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

SYRACUSE — Syracuse University (SU) Chancellor Kent Syverud has announced the appointment of Matt Ter Molen as chief advancement officer and senior vice president following a national search.

The executive committee of the SU board of trustees confirmed the appointment during its meeting on Dec. 4.

Ter Molen, who will report to Syverud, will start in his new role on Feb. 1.

He currently serves as associate vice president and campaign manager for “We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern” at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. 

Northwestern’s $3.75 billion fundraising effort seeks to support the school’s strategic plan, “Northwestern Will,” according to the SU release.

As of Aug. 31, the campaign had raised more than $1.73 billion.

Syverud calls Ter Molen “a talented and accomplished fundraising strategist and gift steward.”  

“He brings a wealth of experience, having led large and successful higher-education fundraising campaigns. As we seek to continue the university’s strong fundraising momentum, I’m confident Matt is the right person to lead us in securing the resources necessary to enhance our academic mission, support our students and faculty, and take our university to the next level,” said Syverud.

In his new role, Ter Molen will provide counsel to the chancellor to determine long-term expectations for a “best-in-class” advancement organization, including planning, timeline, allocation of resources, capacity projections, and infrastructure needs. 

Ter Molen will cultivate, secure, and steward “complex” principal gifts, in partnership with the chancellor and gift officers, while creating an “environment of continuous improvement” for the advancement organization, the school added.

SYRACUSE —  SRC, Inc. and C&S Companies, in partnership with the CNY STEM Hub, have announced the 2015 CNY STEM Scholars Program. 

The program, now in its third year, is open to graduating high-school seniors who will be majoring in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field.

This year’s scholarship program will provide tuition support of up to $2,500 per year and a guaranteed summer internship at SRC, Inc. or C&S Companies, according to a news release issued by SRC on Dec. 16. Eight scholarships will be awarded, with up to three given to minority and female applicants.

There is no financial eligibility requirement. Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA, be a Central New York resident (living in the following counties: Onondaga, Cayuga, Madison, Cortland, Oneida, Oswego, and Tompkins), and be starting a degree program in the fall of 2015, the release stated. Students attending a college or university in New York state and students intending to study in certain STEM fields will be given preference during the selection process. Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on academic merit, activities, and application responses.

“SRC has been amazed with the level of the students applying for these scholarships in the past. It indicates that we can grow our own high quality STEM workforce right here in Central New York,” Paul G. Tremont, SRC president, said in the release. “The local education system is preparing students to take on the challenge of a STEM career and we can offer financial support and an internship experience through this scholarship. Our ultimate goal is to hire these students and keep the best and brightest in CNY.” 

John Trimble, president and COO of the C&S Companies, added, “Supporting, hiring and retaining a high level of talent here in Central New York are the best ways to build a solid workforce and grow your organization. We are thrilled to be a part of it.”

The online application and additional information can be found on the CNY STEM Hub website at www.cnystem.com. The application deadline is March 15, 2015. Selections will be made in April and all applicants will be notified by May 1.  

UTICA — People who are not happy at their current jobs and are thinking about becoming a tractor-trailer driver, can pursue it through training at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). 

The college offers a truck-driver training session every two to three weeks throughout the year. It provides a daytime class that starts every two weeks, and an evening class that begins monthly, says Franca Armstrong, associate vice president of workforce development at MVCC. “So about three times a month, you can get into a class.”

Armstrong spoke with the Business Journal News Network on Dec. 15.

The course targets “underemployed” adults, she notes.

“People who have been out in the workforce and, for whatever reason, would like to earn more. This allows them to do so with very short-term training,” she adds.

The tractor-trailer driver training course typically lasts between four and six weeks. It costs $4,900 for the training, she adds. 

MVCC has a contract with SAGE Truck Driving Schools to provide the driver-training program.

SAGE Truck Driving Schools is part of the Camp Hill, Pa.–based SAGE Corporation. SAGE trains more than 4,000 Class A drivers per year, according to the MVCC website.

The program is based upon curriculum that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Alexandria, Va.–based Professional Truck Driving Institute (PTDI) developed. 

PTDI is a nonprofit that has been working with the carriers, truck-driver training schools, insurance industry, and government to prioritize safety, according to its website.

The MVCC driver–training program provides students with a mix of classroom and “hands- on” training, says Armstrong.

This 150-hour program “fully meets the needs” of students with no prior knowledge or experience in truck driving, MVCC contends. 

It includes 46 hours of one-student-per-truck driving time and 104 hours of class and lab time.

Upon completion, graduates will be certified as an entry-level tractor-trailer driver in accordance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 49 CFR 380.503 and passage of the New York state class A commercial driver’s-license requirements.

Applicants are required to have a valid New York driver’s license; be at least 21 years of age; pass a DOT physical and drug test; maintain a “good” driving record; and have a high-school diploma or GED, according to the MVCC website.

The program director will interview applicants. MVCC will also conduct family interviews, because tractor-trailer driving is a “commitment,” says Armstrong. 

“Before you put in this kind of time and money, you have to make sure that your whole family is behind you on this,” she says.

Between 100 and 120 people complete the course annually, says Armstrong.

People completing the course can pursue driving jobs with starting salaries of about $40,000, she says. MVCC says it has a 98 percent placement rate for people taking the training course.       

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com