The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business recently launched a new academic program created by Doug and Kay Ivester.
The M. Douglas and V. Kay Ivester Institute for Business Analytics and Insights aims to expand analytics throughout business education, according to a release from the university.
The $5 million pledge from the Ivesters will allow the college to provide an organizational base for university mission-related activities in one or more academic areas and pursuing interdisciplinary research involving faculty and students. The Institute will also be able to more effectively engage in the business community, propose new programs, courses and training and hire the faculty necessary to staff them.
During a Nov.22 ceremony commemorating the institute’s launch, Doug Ivester shared his thoughts on the program.
“I told (UGA President Jere Morehead) when we talked about this Institute that if I were naming it, I would name it the Institute for Connecting the Dots,” he said. “It’s about understanding the relativity of data, how it connects, and how that influences other decisions taking place in the business world. I’m a big proponent of what’s going to take place with this new program. I think it is a bit of the future.”
Ivester attended UGA in 1965 to study accounting before becoming the CEO and Chairman of the Coca-Cola Company. He is an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation, a trustee of Brenau University, and a director of the Melvin Douglas & Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation.
“By establishing this Institute, we will have a platform and an even stronger base to adapt to the powerful changes facing us in the future,” Terry College Dean Ben Ayers, said. “I have all the confidence in the world in our faculty and our founding director, Dr. Chris Cornwell, who will lead the Ivester Institute.”
The IIBAI will oversee the Master of Science in Business Analytics and undergraduate Area of Emphasis in Business Analytics. The institute will support these programs to better meet students’ needs and the school’s strategic goals.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/12/1274809/university-of-georgia-launches-m-douglas-and-v-kay-ivester-institute-for-business-analytics-and-insights