Alter cuts ribbon on namesake

Confetti rained in the lobby of Alter Hall as a crowd burst into applause yesterday when the ribbon was officially cut on the new, $80 million home of the Fox School of Business.

The day was packed with guided tours, a student exhibit fair and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 217,000 square-foot building located on the corner of Montgomery Avenue and Liacouras Walk.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted by Steve Cordasco, a Fox School of Business alumnus and member of the Fox Board of Visitors, and host of Big Money on Big Talker 1210 AM.

“The opening of Alter Hall is nothing less than a transformational event in the history of the university and the Fox School of Business, and today, we celebrate our collective achievement with individuals who played pivotal roles in bringing about this building,” Cordasco said.

“These are exciting times for Temple and the Fox School of Business. Progress abounds, a fact so clearly reflected in every inch of this spectacular building,” he added. “I’ve chosen to stay involved as a graduate because this is one dynamic school with one outstanding dean who knows how to pull people together and get the job done. It makes us all proud to be a part of Temple University.”

Speakers included Fox School of Business Dean M. Moshe Porat, President Ann Weaver Hart, Board of Trustees Chairman Daniel Polett, Trustee and Fox Board of Visitors Chairman Richard Fox, men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy and the building’s namesake, Dennis Alter.

Alter, who graduated from Temple in 1966 and serves as a member of the Fox Board of Visitors, is also chairman and CEO of Advanta Corporation. He and his wife, Gisela Alter, donated more than $15 million for the construction of the building.

“I first joined Temple University when this was a dirt lot, and there was a wonderful, hopeful sign – ‘The future home of the Dennis and Gisela Alter building for the Fox School of Business and Management,’” Hart said. “And it’s here, and when I look back at that wonderful, wonderful hole in the ground that came next, it’s hard to imagine that this was only two years ago when we put a shovel in the ground.

“We’ve held a number of very exciting transition ceremonies from a ground-breaking to a steel top-off, and now, we’re here to celebrate our ribbon-cutting,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine how much this building has contributed to the whole spirit of and tenor of Temple University.”

The state-of-the-art facility contains more than 200 pieces of art by local artists, a 177-foot elliptical ticker – the longest at a U.S. business school, – an indoor mural by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, a kinetic flag sculpture and a 6,400-pound revolving stone-and-water globe sculpture, in addition to several smart classrooms and abounding technology.

“The vision of the Fox School is to become the best public urban business school in the country and to be ranked among the best business schools in the world,” Porat said. “I know that it will take some more work to make it happen, but Alter Hall will certainly be an enabler in achieving this vision. Alter Hall represents a historic transformation that will affect students, faculty, staff and alumni for generations. [It] is one of the most sophisticated business school facilities in the nation.

“Its design is tailored to the needs of students and faculty, and its advanced technology mirrors the real world of business,” he said. “It also reflects in its design of classrooms and other spaces the major themes that have been driving our mission: globalization, information technology, entrepreneurship and innovation and faculty and students’ collaboration.”

Porat said it started with a dream in 1999 with Vice Dean Rajan Chandran, Associate Dean Diana Breslin Knudsen and Associate Dean John DeAngelo. He dubbed them the “dream team” who “shepherded [Alter Hall] from its conception to its completion today in every respect.”

Porat noted that the four “dream team” members represent more than 125 years of “commitment to Temple University and its mission.”

“Today, the Fox School celebrates a new era of excellence,” Porat said. “It is a big moment for me personally and a dream come true.”

“This great building is a wonderful symbol of Temple University’s commitment to excellence in business education,” Polett said. “Our students now have access to advanced technology, new learning tools and spaces for intense study and collaboration.”

Alter, the closing speaker, gave a humble and humorous speech.

“It’s daunting, a little embarrassing, to sit up here and have all of you say so many kind things about me and what we’ve tried to do. I’m a little overwhelmed. But if you could, run through that one more time,” Alter joked.

Alter told the audience several personal anecdotes about his educational experience at Temple in an attempt to explain why he and his wife chose to donate $15 million to the construction of the building.

“I learned from him that you teach by encouraging,” Alter said of a former basketball coach. “Hopefully, this building will allow tens of thousands of others to learn and aspire, not necessarily always achieving what they started out to do but being given an opportunity and the encouragement to do so.”

Kathryn A. López can be reached at kathryn.lopez@temple.edu.

Fox prof. gets top honor for research

The Fox School of Business’ newest facility, Alter Hall, isn’t the school’s only attraction garnering worldwide recognition.

Anthony Di Benedetto, professor of marketing, recently achieved his own accomplishments on a global scale.

A study to find the most prolific journal writers in the area of technology and innovation management recently showed Di Benedetto as one of the top researches in his field worldwide.

“When I was out working with my MBA, I was not satisfied with the work that I was doing. One day, I was sitting at home, and I began to question what I wanted to do with my career, and it dawned on me,” Di Benedetto said. “I decided then and there that I would go back to school and do my doctoral study. The people I began working with were top researchers.”

Di Benedetto has many other accomplishments in his research and academic studies within Temple. He teaches product management for MBA candidates, international marketing for undergraduates and executive MBA marketing class. He specializes in marketing, international business and product management and is the co-author of a leading textbook.

Previously, Di Benedetto was Temple Rome’s director of international business.

“Temple has treated me well. I’m very content with what I’ve built here. I hope to continue to contribute to the doctoral program here. I do plan to stay here at Temple because they have offered me a lot of opportunities,” Di Benedetto said.

“I hired Tony when I became chair of the department,” said Rajan Chandran, vice dean and professor of marketing. “He is one of the nicest people you could ever meet and one of the hardest workers you could ever find. He’s a super teacher and was named one of the greatest teachers in the university. His name is inscribed on the wall [in Founder’s Garden].”

Di Benedetto is also involved with new product management, development and international marketing strategies research globally. He has been in his field for more than 15 years.

“He’s a very prolific author. He has written the bestselling book in the field of product and innovation management. He has been doing a magnificent job with the book,” Chandran said. “Because of his tremendous research in product management he was asked to become editor in chief of the Journal of Product Innovation Management. He did so well that he was recently given another term.”

“Dr. Benedetto has won several awards on his research in new product management through several national and international organizations,” said Richard Lancioni, a colleague of Di Benedetto and chair of the marketing department. “He continues to do research in that area, and he works with doctoral students in the program to help them do their research and dissertations. He’s a very good colleague and works well with students and other professors in the department.”

In December 2008, Di Benedetto was invited, along with 15 other researchers, to a prestigious conference in Wales. He said he has achieved many of his goals and plans to continue his research and travel the globe.

“I reached the career goals that I set for myself. I would like to teach more international programs,” he said. “I always feel that there’s an opportunity to keep growing. I’m always looking for more teaching and researching opportunities.”

Taara Savage-El can be reached at taarasavage-el@temple.edu.

TTN Slideshow: Temple News tours Alter Hall

TTN Video: Inside look at Alter Hall

Top secret study spaces

Annoyed by those loud cell phone gabbers? Tired of TECH Center monotony? Fed up with corporate free-form jazz? Well, for just two easy payments of $19.95…

It’s a shame Temple didn’t produce such an infomercial because in all likelihood, finding a good place to study can be quite stressful. And with an essay or test due tomorrow, Temple students don’t need to cope with added pressure.

Perhaps receiving an A on a paper takes more than just proper planning and copious editing. Where studying occurs can make a difference. The real dilemma is that university-deemed study locations are often infested with people who aren’t really interested in quiet page-turning Zen.

Every person has a different method of learning, but for those who truly need an oasis, here are some good locations to try:

The quiet sections on the second and third floors of Paley Library
Though posted signs suggest that an unattended laptop could be jacked at any moment, there are no other reasons to feel threatened. The second and third floors of Paley Library may be overlooked because of the recently renovated first floor computer area and café, but as any librarian will discern, never judge a book by its cover.

The special quiet sections usually live up to its bestowed honor, though an occasional ringtone may blast through the room, followed by the ominous voice of a loud cell phone talker. There aren’t any AlliedBarton security guards there ready to arrest the silence incapable, but usually a stern glance at the offender will do the trick.

The library’s upper floors are a great place to study, but the stifling aroma of periodicals combined with vomit-colored furniture could be a deal breaker.

The fourth floor study lounge of 1300 residence hall
The fourth floor is quiet enough to hear the outside electronic chirps beckoning the blind to cross Broad Street. Enter the fourth floor study lounge, and a sea of quiet is found. It’s warm, carpeted and full of wooden cubicles for privacy. Outside noise is minimal to nonexistent.

The best parts about this place are the large windows that provide a great view of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, inviting one to daydream or take in a dose of sun and sky. Glance up from a textbook every once in a while and watch the campus grid unfold. Just don’t stare too diligently; it creeps out the people below.

The basement of Paley Library
Now, who would ever want to study in a basement? Don’t confuse the damp and the dreary with the library’s basement, which is adjacent to the university’s Urban Archives.

Furthermore, as of Jan. 20, 2009, the basement computer lab boasts sleek new LCD screens for watching media, be it an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or a frame-by-frame analysis of the Zapruder film. The library’s basement is also extremely quiet and a good resource for history and maps of the city, microfilm and government documents.

There are assorted comfy chairs and plenty of room, but it is best to leave before dark. The spirit of Russell H. Conwell has been known to come alive and hunt down those with overdue book fines.

Alter Hall
The Fox School of Business’ Alter Hall is architecturally hip and futuristic. Many windows and a marvelous elliptical stock ticker give the place a Wall Street glitz. The paint is new, and the brightly-colored mural on the lower level near the auditorium is nice to look at during the winter doldrums.
Every few paces, there are four leather chairs surrounded by a table with laptop battery ports, so it’s a cool place to hang out between classes, but it may or may not be the greatest place to write a best-seller.

If a little background noise doesn’t interfere with studying, then try Alter Hall. If impermeable silence is a goal, it is probably better to head to the library or a study lounge. The huge ceiling and open-air design reverberates every step of a businesswoman’s high-heeled shoes.

And now, here are some places to try to avoid when an important assignment is due.

The TECH Center
Temple’s famous computer lab is the largest on the East Coast. Yet, with so many computers and people packed into the main labs, the decibel level is equivalent to Center City.

The TECH Center represents the best and worst of America’s technology addiction. Numerous printers come in handy at this location, but take a gaze throughout the massive space, and undoubtedly every other computer screen displays a Facebook page or a YouTube video.

While breaks are necessary every 40 minutes or so of studying, the TECH Center provides too many distractions. There are too many people screaming into their cell phones, too many students gossiping away the time and too many overly caffeinated individuals on edge. The eeriest part is the random classmate only a few computers away looking at mutual tagged photos from that one party two years ago…

Campus Starbucks
Sipping lattes and Web surfing may go hand-in-hand during a vacation, but the two don’t mix well during a busy school day. Starbucks at the TECH Center would serve its purpose if its location allowed Owls to pick up their caffeinated beverages and leave.

It’s best not to linger in a tiny Starbucks. The tables are cramped, the place is loud, the espresso machine’s milk steamer is constantly roaring, and the background jazz can drive a person insane. If combining Starbucks and studying is a necessity, grab a coffee and head someplace quieter.

The Bedroom
Well, yes and no.
The bedroom is home base, where all textbooks and supplies are. It’s comfortable with enough space to work.

Yet, for those who spend a considerable amount of time here between classes and sleeping, too much time in the dorm could fry one’s nerves. Factor in a next-door neighbor’s loud music and a roommate who has friends over, and nothing will get accomplished.

Also, the best place to study is at a desk and chair, not lying with a laptop on a bed. The body becomes too relaxed, and the studier gets sleepy. If the timing is right and the atmosphere is good, the bedroom can be a place where the magic happens — like a good study session.

Mark Newman can be reached at marknewman@temple.edu.

New buildings garner praise from students

Art and business school students are being treated to new facilities. The opening of the new Tyler School of Art building is marking the end of Tyler’s move to Main Campus. Alter Hall, the new home of the Fox School of Business, is equipped with the latest technology.

Tyler
Space, natural lighting and improved equipment are getting students and faculty excited about the new Tyler School of Art building.

The Spring 2009 semester marks the birth of education at this $76.4 million project.

It is a dramatic change from Tyler’s Elkins Park campus, which was about 30 minutes north of Main Campus in the suburbs and said to be deteriorating.

Professor Kathryn Murken of the Tyler Foundation department described the new building as “slick, clean, modern and organized.” She said it has “astronomical differences in improvement.”

Murken said the building allows her to teach more effectively with slideshows and other technological components.

The relocation will also encourage art students to be more involved on Main Campus.

“It’s so nice to have, within walking distance, two libraries and the food trucks,” said Michael Gnad, glass technician and 2003 alumnus.

Many difficulties arose in the past for art students due to the distance between the Elkins Park campus and the city. Tyler students were limited in the classes they could take on Main Campus and had a longer commute to the art community of the city.

There is a greater variety of art classes for non-bachelor of fine arts majors, as well as more classes for art students on Main Campus. Film and media arts and music majors will have better interaction with the rest of the art community now.

Since more integration among the art students can occur, Daniel Cutrone, assistant professor of glass, said students can hold onto their concepts and explore them in new ways.

Advancements in the glass program include the capability to increase the use of hot casting and a better-insulated cold room.

“We’ve expanded out from two to three furnaces, the capacity has doubled,” Gnad said. “We’ve gone from a little garage to 9,000 square feet.”

The top floor is dedicated to the painters. Their classrooms and suites face the north for indirect light that shines through gigantic windows. Although there are enormous rooms that give the artists plenty of space to create larger projects, some students said the exit doors are too small for them to pass through. They also said the absence of plywood in the walls makes heavy artwork difficult to hang.

“It feels like I’m living in a Sims game,” said Holly Dixon, a junior painting major.

Dixon said she appreciates the opportunity to interact with students on Main Campus and the space to accommodate more majors.

Aside from the minor flaws, painting majors no longer attend lectures in a barn or work without ventilation in an outdated building.

Students now learn in smart classrooms with easy access to workshops. A gallery will soon open in the building.

Printmaking majors appear to be pleased, as well.

“The old space was like going back to the Stone Age,” said graduate printmaking student Dustin Campbell. “Everything is new here. Everything is at our disposal. The fibers are next door. I graduate in May, and I wish I had another year here.”

Justin Renninger, a senior graphic design major, complimented the larger amount of computers and binding materials. Designated workrooms were important to him because they allow for a more peaceful work environment than those at the old campus.

“Overall, people are excited to be here. It’s a good move,” said graduate painting student Nick Barbee. “We finally have stuff like the TECH Center and libraries.”

Alter Hall
The Fox School of Business’ newest facility, Alter Hall, has eight floors and 217,000 square feet of sophistication, technology and professionalism, all priced at $79 million.

“The building reminds me of CNN’s headquarters,” said Steven Jones, a senior business management major.

“It feels like you’re in a stock exchange building,” said Yelena Glukhovsky, a junior management information system major.

With the nation’s longest elliptical stock ticker, an enormous screen displaying the latest business news and many other informative features, Alter Hall resembles a building on Wall Street.

Though the building has a business-like environment, it is a place of study.

“I like the smart classrooms. The breakout rooms look very useful,” said human resource management professor Steven Edelson. “They’re equipped with computers and monitors, so [students] don’t have to bring their laptops. It’s also good for group work.”

Edelson said he enjoyed the comfortable seating, which he said is a major difference from the old classroom seating found in “third grade classrooms.” Edelson added he enjoys the “ability to bring various media to the classroom.”

Jennifer Lyons, who is an adjunct professor in the statistics department and a student in an MBA program, appreciates the new building from an instructor’s and student’s perspective.

In comparison to the Center City campus, where she used to study, Lyons said Alter Hall is more aesthetically pleasing because it has better lighting and accessibility. She said the stadium-style seating in the classrooms is great because “every seat is a good seat.”

“I can put notes and definitions on the screen and on the board,” she said about the technology features in her pre-calculus class.

Alter Hall has many aesthetic features, from its stone walls decorated with engravings to murals that are currently being painted. Bulls appear in the engravings to mark the hope of a better market for these business students.

Jena Bandini, assistant director of the Center for Student Professional Development, likes the developing mural her office overlooks. Her location is also adjacent to the student lounge with the ticker tape.

“I appreciate the student lounge. It’s always packed,” Bandini said. “I know Alter Hall is just going to get better.”

Leonard Qualtiere, a senior human resource management major, is a fan of the ticker.

“I’m on the job hunt, so the ticker is allowing me to keep an eye on different stocks,” Qualtiere said.
There are only a handful of dislikes about the new building.

Andrey Kiselev, a junior marketing major, complained about the lack of computers. He said there aren’t computers in the labs and that he has to travel to an inconvenient location to access them.

“Room numbers are confusing – there are a bunch of rooms on one side and only one on the other,” said Stella Kasparova, a senior legal studies major.

She said she appreciates the building overall, especially that Class Capture is in every room and even students’ voices can be heard.

Arty Kern can be reached at arthur.kern@temple.edu.

Critic misses the point on Tyler, Alter

Temple has been a university for working-class students since its beginning. As such, it has geared itself to providing an affordable education more than setting precedents for much of its history. The newly built Tyler School of Art building and Alter Hall represent Temple’s shift to a more global and higher-profile university.

The focus on students’ education was never lost, though. The new Tyler School of Art was designed partially with that tradition in mind. Despite producing accomplished artists, Tyler’s Elkins Park location was far too small. Its glass-blowing facilities consisted of a one-bay garage and a lean-to shack with a dirt floor.

“The Elkins Park campus was 75 years old and was built for 400 students. Tyler was essentially a victim of its own success. We were squeezing over 700 students into a small, old, outdated, worn facility,” said Therese Dolan, interim dean of Tyler.

Inga Saffron apparently isn’t concerned with Tyler’s state-of-the-art facilities.

Saffron, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s architecture critic, wrote an article published Friday that blasted both Tyler and Alter Hall, calling them the “most frustrating demonstration of Temple’s cluelessness” and a “mausoleum for the egos of the nation’s financial titans,” respectively.

My first problem with Saffron’s article is its own cluelessness. She refers to the neighborhood directly north of the new Tyler building as Yorktown. Yorktown is actually five blocks south, bordering the southern, not the northern, end of campus. Saffron is talking about a neighborhood known as Nelson Brown and People’s Village.

Furthermore, her complaint is that Temple gave the neighborhood a terrible view, putting Tyler’s loading docks against it. Saffron also complains about Tyler’s front entrance facing the back of the Biology-Life Sciences building.

For one, the loading docks have to go somewhere, and they fit better on Diamond Street, which is a two-way street, than on either 13th or 12th streets, both of which are one-way.

Also, she wrote that Presser Hall should have been demolished and incorporated into Tyler, so that Tyler could have occupied a more attractive space, the intersection of 13th and Norris streets.

Where would the Boyer College of Music and Dance have gone during the extensive construction?

Temple is crowded enough as it is. Also, it’s hard to believe that a main entrance on that intersection would make a serious difference in the feel of Tyler. The other three corners of the intersection are occupied by the back of the Biology-Life Sciences building, the back of Barton Hall and the corner of Tomlinson Theater.

Saffron claims that Tyler was “dumped” at the far end of campus “seemingly at random.”

I would like to know where Saffron thinks Tyler could have gone. North Philadelphia is not a blank slate for Temple to draw upon; it is a collection of neighborhoods with their own extensive histories, not to mention homes already standing. Temple is growing into its future as a world-renowned institution, and there are going to be growing pains, considering its past as a largely commuter campus.

In Saffron’s article, she even calls Temple’s planners lazy. Apparently, she doesn’t realize the incredible dedication and persistence it takes to see a project as large as Tyler’s new building to completion, especially when one doesn’t have the fundraising potential of a law or business school.

“Temple has been incredibly supportive of Tyler’s needs and has worked diligently to facilitate the move” from Elkins Park, Dolan said.

Saffron doesn’t stop at Tyler. She calls Alter Hall “morbidly obese.” I fail to see how a building that takes up less than one square block is morbidly obese. Besides, the point is not to teach Fox School of Business students in a pretty, aesthetically pleasing building. It is to give them an education in a top-notch facility with the best technology available. And this it does.

I have taken guided tours of both Tyler’s new building and Alter Hall, and I saw nothing of what Saffron did. Perhaps it is because I am not an architecture expert, as she is. Or maybe it is because it’s unfair and ignorant to criticize one aspect of a building without taking into account the limitations the builders and planners were faced with.

Stephen Zook can be reached at stephen.zook@temple.edu.

Crews work on campus

The progress is tangible.

Students returning to campus may have noticed significant advances in various construction projects throughout Main Campus. The scaffolding has been taken down around Alter Hall, and Presser Hall will soon see a new atrium.

With many of these projects nearing completion, The Temple News outlines what has been accomplished and what students, faculty and staff will still be waiting for.

Temple Towers
After many rumors that it would be demolished, Temple Towers, a 680-bed apartment complex, is here to stay. To accommodate the increasing number of students living on campus, Temple Towers is being remodeled and renovated.

“We are not knocking Temple Towers down. We are going to do a complete renovation,” said William Bergman, vice president for operations.

Electric and water lines were updated over the summer and major construction overhauls will take place next summer. One of the biggest changes to the apartments is that the balconies will be removed to extend room space. New kitchens and bathrooms will be installed. Bergman said the lobby of the building will also be revamped.

Tyler School of Art
With the Tyler School of Art moving to Main Campus, art students can create and display their work in a new building designed by Texas-based architect Carlos Jimenez.

“For the first time, Tyler will have modern up-to-date equipment,” Bergman said. “It will really be a place to do spectacular work.”

At an estimated $76 million, the newly designed Tyler and high-tech equipment will become the premiere art school in the Philadelphia area, Bergman said. The state contributed $61.5 million to the construction.

The new facility will be home to a sculpture garden, which will be the largest green space on campus.

Johnson & Hardwick
In addition to the $4 million renovations to the Louis J. Esposito Dining Hall, the rooms in J&H underwent a makeover.

Bergman said over the past two years, all new furniture and air conditioning units were installed in the rooms.

After J&H’s being one of the less popular dorms, Bergman said students are now excited to live there.
“It is an extremely popular place. It used to be a hard sell to students, but not anymore.”

Alter Hall
“Alter Hall is this grand building that is going to be home to the business school,” Bergman said.
Speakman and Alter halls will be connected to allow students to fully utilize the new space. The new business building will have the largest stock ticker room of any university in the country, Bergman said.

“Temple’s business school is offering a modern, today education and the building shows that,” Bergman said.

Eighteen months of construction will pay off when Alter Hall opens for classes in the spring semester.
Alter Hall cost an estimated $80 million, with $25 million donated from the state and approximately $20 million from private donors.

LeAnne Matlach can be reached at leannematlach@temple.edu.