Kathy and Bob Garff at the groundbreaking of the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Executive Education Building.
Friends and supporters of The David Eccles School of Business, on January 24, gathered at the former site of Milton Bennion Hall to witness the groundbreaking for the new Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Executive Education Building. Major funding for the construction of the 150,000-square-foot facility came from a generous gift of $12 million from the children of the philanthropic Garff family. Additional donors to the project include Crystal and Chuck Maggelet.
The Garff children surprised their parents with the donation and naming of the facility at the groundbreaking event. This donation will become a permanent physical representation of the legacy of support the Garffs have provided over three generations for business education at the University of Utah and throughout the community.
“Our parents have been our personal heroes since we were children. One of the closest things to my parents’ hearts is education, and they taught us to value it above all else,” says Matthew Garff. “As a true Ute family, we are thrilled to have this opportunity to give back to the school that taught us so much, and to simultaneously honor our parents for their tireless efforts and continuous donations to education in Utah. We believe that this building will live up to our parents’ names by providing top-tier instruction and programs.”
The new facility will house the school’s Full-Time Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Professional MBA, Executive MBA and MBA Online programs. The building also will support an executive education center, an expanded business career services center and other centers for use by faculty and students.
The Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Executive Education Building will dramatically expand and enhance the master’s-level business programs at the University of Utah. The newly enhanced business career services center will provide students with a multi-year professional development plan designed to provide year-over-year learning in the areas of professional conduct, appearance, career exploration, personal presentation, and job acquisition success.
“We’re excited to add this structure to our existing pool of first-class education institutions,” says Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “This new building will provide us with the space and the resources to better serve the educational needs of corporations throughout the area, while enhancing the international reputation of our MBA programs and providing us with world-class career development for all students and alumni.”
The programs that will be hosted in the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Executive Education Building have gained considerable momentum and national recognition in recent months and years.
“The Garff children are the third generation in their family to invest in our school, both through donations of monetary value and their time and expertise,” says Randall. “We can’t thank the Garff family enough for their support of our goals to make our business programs the best in Utah, the nation, and the world.”