CSU’s College of Business will honor its founding dean, Donald W. Dobler, during the College’s annual homecoming festivities on Saturday, Oct. 18. A conference room will be dedicated as the Dr. Donald W. Dobler Conference Room.
Dobler will attend the ceremonies that begin at noon in Rockwell Hall, Room 119, on the CSU campus. Ray Chamberlain, president of CSU from 1969 to 1979, will also be on hand, as well as current Dean of the College of Business Ajay Menon.
The event is free and open to the campus and Fort Collins community, part of the Reunion at Rockwell event that begins at 11 a.m. College of Business alumni are especially welcome to attend to see old friends and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres.
Twenty years as dean
Dobler was hired in 1966 by then CSU President William Morgan to start the College of Business. During his tenure as dean, which lasted until 1986, Dobler hired the first faculty members. John Olienyk, now associate dean of the College, and John Plotnicki, associate professor of Computer Information Systems, were both among those hires, as was Ted Weston, now professor emeritus, who helped bring some of the first computers to the College.
He also established the foundation for the College on three important pillars that endure today: academic rigor, faculty who care about the students, and industry partnerships.
The dedication of the room marks the launch of a greater College of Business initiative called The Transformations Project. One of the primary goals of The Transformations Project will be to honor the people who made a significant difference during the College’s first 50 years.
