Spring 2008 PDF - University of South Carolina Upstate

A Place
and
To
Prosper
Live,Work
The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of
Business and Economics at USC Upstate
currently enrolls nearly 850 majors and is the
fastest growing unit in the University. It is fully
accredited by the Association for the Advancement
of Collegiate Schools of Business, one of 41
institutions worldwide with undergraduate only
programs that are accredited. Few business
schools in the nation with a predominantly
undergraduate mission are accredited by this
prestigious international association. In addition
to its major programs in business administration,
finance, marketing, management, accounting and
economics, the College will offer USC’s PMBA
degree on-site.
BY TAMMY E. WHALEY
His hometown, once prosperous
from peach orchards and textile
mills, now fights to recruit
white collar jobs that will entice
generations of young leaders to
stay in the community. He believes
that education is the answer to
recruiting these jobs to the area,
bringing with them a higher per
capita income and increase in the
quality of living.
It is this belief that led George
Dean Johnson, Jr. to explore
ways in which he could help the
Spartanburg community, now and
for generations to come, to prosper
as others from his hometown once
prospered.
While Johnson is as well-known
for his business acumen as he
is for the philanthropic efforts he
and his wife, Susu, have made to
education and the arts, he is adding
a new dimension to his legacy. The
University of South Carolina Upstate
announced in December the naming
of the George Dean Johnson, Jr.
College of Business and Economics
and the promise of a new downtown
location that will assist in economic
development, aid in pre-start-up
and incubation support of small
business, and introduce thousands
of business majors over the years to
the opportunities for investment in
the City.
“The University is greatly honored
by the identification of its business
school with Mr. Johnson. And
locating the George Dean
Johnson, Jr. College of Business
and Economics in the center
of Renaissance Park will be a
tremendous asset not only to
downtown development but,
because of the naming, to the
reputation of the University,” said
Dr. John Stockwell, chancellor of
USC Upstate.
Johnson is a man of immense
talent and versatility — former
practicing attorney, legislator, State
Development Board chairman and
State Chamber of Commerce
president — and one of the nation’s
most successful entrepreneurs. He
is founder, former Chief Executive
Officer and a former Director
of Extended Stay America, Inc.
Johnson is a former President of
the domestic consumer division
of Blockbuster Entertainment, a
division of Viacom, Inc. He was
formerly the managing general
partner of WJB Video, the largest
Blockbuster franchisee, which
developed over 200 video stores
prior to a merger with Blockbuster
in 1993. Since 1985, Johnson
has been the managing general
partner of American Storage
Limited Partnership, a chain of
28 self-storage facilities located
in the Carolinas and Georgia. His
real estate development company,
Johnson Development Associates,
Inc., has developed and manages
in excess of 6 million square feet of
retail space, industrial space, office
space and apartments.
Stockwell adds that the new facility
will be located along Saint John
Street adjacent to the Chapman
Cultural Center. The facility will be
a three-story, 44,000 square foot
building. The University expects to
break ground in late fall 2008 and
anticipates that construction will be
completed in December 2009.
“Our future is tied to education
and I believe that this project will
help us all in ways that we can’t
yet imagine,” said Johnson. “This
is an investment in the University
of South Carolina Upstate and
in the College of Business and
Economics but more importantly, it
is an investment in the community.
It is setting the stage for economic
development, the creation of
4 University Review