Local firm donates $100,000 to TU CBE

By: Marcus Whitman, Staff Writer

File photo by Brendan Felch

Towson University’s College of Business and Economics received a donation of $100,000 from local firm Rosen, Sapperstein & Friedlander Jan. 20. 

Over time, we’ve seen the quality of CBE’s students and leadership as well as the University’s progressive approach to community engagement,” said Jeff Rosen, RS&F Co-Managing Partner. “This has been extremely impressive, therefore we wanted to deepen our involvement beyond our successful internship program and board involvement.”

According to Shohreh Kaynama, TU dean of the College of Business and Economics, RS&F and the CBE have been partners since 2006 and ever since, the partnership has constantly grown.

“We have a great relationship with them,” TU President Kim Schatzel said. “They hire our graduates. We’ve been doing it for years. They work with the business school so it’s one more indication of the fact that we’ve got fantastic relationships with local employers as well as national employers. We’re really excited about that.”

The donation gift will help a number of programs both in and outside of the University’s classrooms.

“[The] pledge to CBE will all go toward students by supporting scholarships and impactful programs, like the MentHER mentoring program and college case competitions,” said Kayanama. 

Kayanama also explained more of this partnerships’ benefits to the program outside of the monetary gifts.

“RS&F is a fantastic partner on so many levels,” Kaynama said. “They truly are committed to Towson University’s success. Over the years, they’ve helped countless students grow by providing excellent, hands-on internships and they hire many alumni, too.”

According to entrepreneurship major and sophomore James Gruber, partnerships like these are beneficial for the CBE as whole, no matter which concentration specifically gets the investment. 

“As an entrepreneurship major, I hope that The Tiger Cage and all those programs do continue to grow,” Gruber said. “I think it is a great opportunity for people with great ideas, especially college students that see needs within their peers.”

According to TU junior Anglea Green, partnerships like these are good for all students at TU.

“It gives them more opportunities and internships, and things like that to help with their career and passion,” she said.

The donation contribution will specifically go towards initiatives at the university including expanding the CBE academic programs, learning opportunities, and career options, providing support for programs that advance the university’s community, and promoting mentoring and coaching skills across an intergenerational group of women.

“Their team members of all levels from associate to partner have volunteered to mentor students and speak to student organizations and classes,” Kaynama said. “The wealth of strategic consultation, connections and opportunities provided by their participation in the CBE and Accounting Advisory Boards as well as the TU Foundation and Board of Visitors have provided immeasurable benefits for the institution.”

According to Rosen, the firm is looking forward to providing CBE students with unique opportunities.

“As an accounting firm, we’re excited to offer scholarship opportunities for worthy candidates within CBE’s Accounting program,” Rosen said. “Additionally, we’re ecstatic to support the MentHER program that will further TU’s impact on current and future women leaders in our community.”

According to Gruber, partnerships like these were not only good for the company, university, and students, but also for the state of Maryland as a whole. 

“I think that everybody in the business program understands whatever donation comes in benefits the business program is going to benefit the local economy because graduates are going to have better education,” he said. “There might be higher retention for students, which is going to turn out more jobs, more local employees, which is going to be better for the Towson area in whole.” 

Green also mentioned that she would like to see partnerships like this grow in the other majors as well. 

According to Kaynama, this partnership is likely to continue growing for years to come. 

“RS&F is a well-established institution in the Baltimore region, and they’ve tremendously supported TU for a long time,” she said. “We’re very honored and proud to call them partners.”

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