Leading the Way

More than 400 School of Business alumni have the title of president, chief executive officer, or chief financial office, and more than 200 are partners at law firms. In addition, over 100 are partners at Big 4 accounting firms, and many are partners at dozens of regional firms.

They work in New York City, Boston, the Capital Region and beyond -- for Alliance Capital, Bank of NY, Bear Stearns, Berdon, LLP, Bloomberg, Citigroup, Computer Associates, Deloitte, Eisner, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel, IRS, JP Morgan Chase, KPMG, Lehman Brothers, Merill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, PWC, State Farm, and Time, Inc., and many, many other companies.

Our alumni know that their UAlbany education brings a terrific return on their investment. Their generosity is unmatched, whether they donate their time through hands-on involvement in the education of our students through mentoring, internships, placement, or provide funds the school needs to thrive and grow. Six classrooms, four computer labs, and three conference rooms have been renovated by gifts from alumni and friends. The next challenge: a state-of-the-art School of Business building on Collins Circle adjacent to the newly constructed University Hall.

Alumni Profile

Building the Reputation of the School of Business

Patricia Caldwell MBA '75

Patricia Caldwell has been contributing to UAlbany in one way or another almost from the day she graduated more than three decades ago. At first, she made donations to the Annual Fund. More recently, she has been sharing her business expertise as chair of the Executive Committee of the School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board.

Her little confession: “I think I get more out of it than the School of Business does. ”That’s no small admission, considering that Caldwell is a partner and co-founder of the Gordian Group, a boutique Manhattan firm that helps companies work through their restructuring problems. Before that, she spent 13 years working for Citicorp in corporate finance and analysis, specializing in metals companies experiencing financial difficulties. “Serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board gives me a great opportunity to meet faculty and students. It’s refreshing to meet people who are smart, energetic, and interested, and it’s a great way of staying apace with what’s going on in the world of business,” said Caldwell. She was instrumental in creating the Faculty Advancement Fund, which supports faculty research. The larger goal of the advisory board, Caldwell said, is to raise the national profile of the School of Business. Its members also work to strengthen connections among students, faculty and alumni. “I do think we’re making progress,” she said. “It’s a long process, but when you look at the more tangible things, like the U.S. News & World Reports surveys, they show us what we can do as friends and alumni. We want to be proud of the school we went to.” A recipient of the Alumni Association’s Excellence in Alumni Service Award this year, Caldwell earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech. At Tech, she has served as a member of the College of Science Advisory Board, as well as on the school’s Campaign Steering Committee and Foundation board.—Christine McKnight