FAU LAUNCHES MADDEN CENTER FOR VALUE CREATION

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business is establishing the Madden Center for Value Creation, thanks to a $3 million donation from the Bartley J. Madden Foundation.

The center will provide an intellectual foundation to FAU students to motivate and assist them in understanding value creation as a core principle for success in business, and to become value creators themselves. It also will develop and run programs for students to engage in research and other activities, as well as host visiting scholars and conferences.

“With value creation as a guidepost, we are better equipped to transcend the polarization epitomized by capitalism versus socialism or Republican versus Democrat,” said Bartley J. Madden, an independent researcher and author. “In so doing, we can build a more civil society where we seek to build knowledge, to create value for others and to ensure that no one is left behind.”

Madden learned of the research conducted by Siri Terjesen, Ph.D., the College of Business’ associate dean of research and external relations. Together they created a vision for the center, and Terjesen will serve as its executive director.

“Value creation is a fundamental principle for organizations and individuals, and we’re delighted to partner with a leading value creator and philanthropist to build and share this knowledge,” said Terjesen, FAU’s Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship.

The center’s first three visiting scholars arrived in January. Riikka Harikkala-Laihinen, Ph.D., a Fulbright Scholar from Turku University in Finland, is researching value creation among the Finnish-American community in South Florida. Ruth Mateos de Cabo, Ph.D., a professor at Universidad CEU San Pablo, and Ricardo Gimeno, Ph.D., head of market analysis and intelligence at the Bank of Spain and adjunct professor at NYU Spain, are researching corporate governance and value creation.

“We truly appreciate this generous gift from the Bartley J. Madden Foundation,” said FAU President John Kelly. “We take pride in providing world-class educational opportunities for our students, and the Madden Center will equip our future business leaders with the experience and tools for long-term success.”

The Madden Center will be advised by a 13-person board of directors: Susan Beal, corporate vice president at Blue Yonder; David Buchsbaum, managing director of investment banking at Dawson James; Marianna Davidovich, director of external relations for the Foundation for Economic Education; Amanda Elam, Ph.D., CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics and a research fellow at Babson College; Manish Gupta, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon; Jason Kra, president of Li & Fung; Richard Ross, a consultant in the staffing industry; Tsedale Melaku, Ph.D., sociologist and management researcher at CUNY Baruch; Brent Segal, Ph.D., director of collaboration at Lockheed Martin; etiquette coach Candace Smith; Vernon Smith, Ph.D., a Nobel Laureate in economics; Ashley Steinhart, of counsel at Lowenstein Sandler; and Yannick Thams, Ph.D., strategy and corporate governance researcher at FAU’s College of Business.

The Bartley J. Madden Foundation, based in Naples, was established in 2015 to support public affairs programs, economics, education, social sciences, human services, and community and economic development.

“The College of Business is grateful to Bart Madden for this fantastic gift to build the Madden Center for Value Creation, which will be a world-class center for research, teaching, and outreach,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business. “We are particularly honored that Dr. Vernon Smith has agreed to serve on this board, as he is the first Nobel Laureate to have an ongoing affiliation with FAU’s College of Business.”

-FAU-