Gift of $1 million endows H. David and Diane Swain Center for Business and Economic Services at UNC Wilmington
10/6/2009 9:47:25 AM
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Wilmington real estate developer and entrepreneur H. David Swain and his wife Diane have given $1 million to the University of North Carolina Wilmington to support economic research and business development services through the Cameron School of Business. In appreciation for their generous support, the university has named the H. David and Diane Swain Center for Business and Economic Services in their honor.
"UNCW is very grateful to David and Diane Swain for their incredible generosity and dedication," Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo said. "In a time of shrinking state budgets, philanthropic gifts such as theirs empower the university to continue providing students with the most powerful learning experience possible. They are wonderful role models and friends who have made our campus and community much better places to live, work and learn."
For the past 35 years, Swain has invested in ideas to enhance the Cape Fear region. From constructing and managing apartment complexes and retail centers to developing restaurants and financial institutions, his company, Swain & Associates, has shaped Wilmington and the region through innovation, dedication and vision.
Larry Clark, dean of the Cameron School of Business, said, "David and Diane are firm believers in the value of helping others. They planned to make their gift anonymously, but the university persuaded them to let us put their names on the H. David and Diane Swain Center for Business and Economic Services. David and Diane share our pride in UNCW, our commitment to supporting sustainable economic growth through high-quality education, and our dedication to creating the best business school possible. We look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with them."
David and Diane Swain have been UNCW advocates and donors for years. They previously supported a scholarship fund to benefit the children of New Hanover County employees, and David has been an instrumental member of several volunteer boards, including chair of the Board of Visitors.
"UNCW has the platform to mold the brightest minds of our next generation, but can only do so with the financial support of those who believe in its promise," Swain said. "Diane and I are great believers in the university and hope our gift will inspire other business people to support UNCW financially."
With nearly a 30-year history on the UNCW campus, the H. David and Diane Swain Center for Business and Economic Services emphasizes outreach into the private and business community to meet the needs of North Carolina. Its activities include partnering in projects with students and faculty, forecasting the economy, hosting the North Carolina Entrepreneurship Summit in 2010 and providing training for the region's workforce.
The center will use the Swains' gift as a catalyst for program growth, enhancing the scope of services it provides to the region. A short list of the center's current projects includes:
• working with the North Carolina State Port Authority to refine a model to predict shipping volume.
• developing a unique and proprietary database of "angel investor" networks in the southeastern U.S., which will provide essential understanding of the overall funding processes available to early-stage entrepreneurs.
• enhancing the center's North Carolina Economic database, which provides free, online access to an entire portfolio of economic data series covering the eastern portion of North Carolina (http://csbapp.csb.uncw.edu/ncecondata/). In addition to its use by the regional business community, the center hopes to encourage N.C. schools to utilize the database to help future students better understand the state's economic relationships.
• working with the Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University to develop a joint Economic Summit, to be offered in Wilmington for the first time March 9, 2010.
Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu
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David and Diane Swain
Swains and Chancellor DePaolo
Swains, Chancellor DePaolo, Dean Larry Clark
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