FileBURLINGTON, Vt. -
Spirits are high at Champlain College.
"We believe this gift will be transformational," said Champlain College President David Finney.
Monday Finney announced a 10-million dollar donation to Champlain.
"I think there is a lot of faith in our school and that is why we are getting so much support," said Mariana Franzetti, a Champlain student.
The money comes from the founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and will support the College's school of business.
Four million dollars will go toward funding two endowed faculty positions. Another four will be used for capital needs that will allow business school faculty to all be housed together. "They're bringing us a whole new way of teaching business that we haven't had in the past," said David Strubler, the Dean of Champlain's business program.
"I know there is a lot of students here, just from my friends in particular, that are looking to do small business ventures or have even started their own already, so It is a good connection that we are building -- there's a lot of potential," said Melissa Chase, a Champlain student.
The remaining 2-million dollars will pay for new efforts to provide training and business support to Vermont and Regional companies and organizations. "We believe that this can have a major impact on companies and organizations in the state and it is an idea whose time has come," President Finney said.
Finney says all 500 undergrads and 123 graduate level business students will benefit from the gift. "My job really is very simple -- it's to try and make your degree worth more and more. I think this is a step in that direction," Finney said.
The 10-million dollar donation will be made over five years. The largest previous donation to Champlain was 4-million dollars.
Champlain announced it will name its business school after the donor, Robert Stiller. the Green Mountain Coffee founder and Charlotte resident did not attend Monday's announcement.
