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Korte gift will fuel SIUE business school
Korte, who is chairman of one of the largest construction companies in the region, and his family have been instrumental in the growth of SIUE during its 42-year history, in not only support of educational programs but also in construction of several university facilities. "The reason for the success of Korte Construction is due in large part to what I learned at SIUE," Korte said at a news conference to announce the gift. "Donna and I believe that if we can help more people access that learning, then we could make a difference in many lives." School of Business Dean Robert Carver said the Kortes' gift will be used as seed money to support new ventures and activities of the school so that it will remain competitive in the marketplace as SIUE approaches the millennium. Korte said he wants to support the school in efforts to expand its "e-commerce" program and put more students in touch with computerization and internet connectivity, which he said has greatly helped his own business grow. "More and more businesses are becoming involved in Internet commerce and we need to do more for our business students in that regard to properly prepare them," he said. "We need to think even more outside the box." He is also interested in helping the School of Business create a presence in the East St. Louis area, perhaps with a program to train minorities in entrepreneurship. "I'm an entrepreneur and I'd like to support the School of Business make that kind of training available to students in East St. Louis because I believe it will help that area's economic situation in the long run," he said. Carver said students will benefit from the Kortes' gift. "Ralph and Donna have certainly delivered an early Christmas present to SIUE and the School of Business," Carver said. "It is a gift that embodies a commitment to common welfare, charity, and benevolence. "It is sometimes easy for us to forget about the depth and impact of feelings and memories that students have about their university," Carver pointed out. "All of us at SIUE interact with students during some of the most important days of their lives and we become a part of those feelings and memories. "Now we are the beneficiaries of a great gift that can further improve our students' lives and give us new opportunities to make this institution even greater." Carver went on to say that the Kortes' gift is an investment in the future. "Giving money to educational institutions is not just charitable good will; it is a sound investment in the future of our society. "In the years to come, the names of the future students who will benefit from his generosity will tell Ralph's message better than any of us, it is the message that an investment in education pays vast dividends of human capital." No one realizes that premise more than the Kortes who have been supportive of the university for four decades. Says Korte: "I recall in the 1970s that Ken Anderson, then president of the SIUE Foundation, and (SIUE President) John Rendleman talked me into joining the Foundation board. I was able to see firsthand what a difference giving to the Foundation could make. "I had been trying for years to get a construction department organized on campus but I had been working at the dean's level and it just wasn't getting done. I attended a Foundation dinner on a Saturday night and told Anderson I thought we should have such a department. "He grabbed Rendleman and told him I was interested in donating $50,000 to the project and by the following Monday, we began to establish a department of construction in the SIUE School of Engineering. "When I saw what a difference I could make through the Foundation, I became even more involved," he said. Korte went on to become president of the Foundation board from 1980-82. He won a distinguished service award from the university in 1988 and the Carol Kimmel Community Service Award in 1993. The department of construction in the SIUE School of Engineering, a department which is considered unique in the region, combines the tenets of construction engineering with studies in the School of Business--a combination about which Korte feels strongly. "There are only two such programs in Illinois and none in Missouri," he says proudly. "The program sets us apart." Carver characterized the Kortes' level of commitment to the university. "Even though the university and school have received many gifts, the enormity of this gift from Ralph and Donna and the level of commitment that it displays, have given me a new appreciation of what it means to give to an educational institution."
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