To the Campus Community:

It is with gratitude and pleasure that I announce the receipt of a $1 million gift to Rutgers–Camden from the Daniel J. Ragone Family Foundation.

The funds will create the Daniel J. Ragone Center for Excellence in Accounting at the School of Business, which will be launched in 2014 to facilitate connections between accounting professionals in the region and our research-based faculty.  The center also will teach the next generation of high-performing accounting professionals to provide southern New Jersey with growth potential for this critical field.

This significant gift honors Daniel J. Ragone, whose lifelong commitment to South Jersey has defined the growth of our region by building businesses and advancing such critical social institutions as our area hospitals.  Mr. and Mrs. Ragone sent all three of their children to Rutgers:  two graduated from Rutgers–Camden – Dean in 1981 and David in 1988 – while Daniel Jr. is a 1977 graduate of Rutgers–New Brunswick.

The Ragone family’s investment in Rutgers–Camden is visionary in its scope.  It firmly establishes Rutgers–Camden as a hub for accounting expertise and skill that will benefit the Delaware Valley for decades.  It also sends an undeniable signal that Rutgers–Camden is expanding its role as a core, enduring institution for our region.

We are indebted and deeply grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Ragone and their sons for their commitment to our sustained growth.  Rutgers is honored to be entrusted with this lasting legacy to Dan, Lillian, and their family.

Combined with the generous support of the Ragone family throughout the years, this transformative gift represents a passionate Rutgers family’s ongoing investment in Rutgers–Camden and the citizens of South Jersey that exceeds $1 million.

During the coming months, the School of Business will share more details about the Daniel J. Ragone Center for Excellence in Accounting, which also will offer seminars and executive education programs to help current accountants keep abreast of new industry practices. Until then, please join me in thanking Dan and Lillian Ragone, and their sons – Daniel, Dean, and David – for their extraordinary support of Rutgers–Camden. 

On a personal level, I would like to thank Dean Ragone for the steadfast support that he has provided to me since I first joined the Rutgers–Camden community.  His counsel and perspectives on Rutgers–Camden have been, and continue to be, invaluable. As an alumni leader, he has undertaken numerous projects, including his current role as co-chair of the Rutgers–Camden Alumni House project. 

I also would like to acknowledge the contributions of School of Business Dean Jai Ganesh and Tracy Elliott, our recent assistant chancellor for development, in helping to bring this gift to fruition by working closely with the Ragone family at every turn.

Rutgers–Camden increasingly is seen as a smart investment by individual donors, government agencies, and corporate foundations alike.  The excellence of our faculty and students, as well as the dedication of our staff and alumni, will continue to fuel our growth.

Wendell E. Pritchett, J.D., Ph.D.

Chancellor