Clarkson receives $1.5 million gift

POTSDAM — A Reh Center by any other name does not smell as sweet.

Following a $1.5 million endowment from alumnus David D. Reh and wife, Sue, Clarkson University has renamed its entrepreneurship center the Reh Center for Entrepreneurship.

The center will use the endowment to further its goal of integrating student education with regional entrepreneurial development.

“My time at Clarkson provided more than an excellent education. It became a transformational experience for me,” Mr. Reh said in a written statement. “I entered as a 17-year-old kid off a farm and graduated having been a dorm counselor; and a member, treasurer, and president of many clubs and activities. I totally immersed myself in Clarkson and the student community. Sue and I are investing in Clarkson to help provide current students a similar experience.”

Although the name is brand new, changes to the Reh Center have been occurring since 2008. That was the year that Mr. Reh, a 1962 graduate of Clarkson and the chairman of its entrepreneurship center's advisory council, came up with the concept for the new and improved center.

“We've worked with David for the past three years to create a center that fit what he hoped to accomplish,” said Marc S. Compeau, director of the Reh Center. “He was saying, ‘We're doing great things for the entrepreneurs; how can we do more while enhancing the experience of the Clarkson students?'”

Since then, the center has been responsible for starting a number of initiatives, including the Young Entrepreneurs Award program, the My Small Business 101 class series, various internships and even a new brand of coffee. This spring, the center implemented the Fresh Ideas for Regional Entrepreneurs or “FIRE department” program in which Clarkson students identify a business need of an area entrepreneur and work to fill that need by a certain deadline.

Although no new initiatives are set to begin in the near future, Mr. Compeau said, the center hopes to double its FIRE department program and significantly expand its Young Entrepreneurs Award program. A formal ceremony to recognize the Rehs' endowment will be held at Mr. Reh's 50th class reunion, to take place in summer 2012.

“The gift really gives us sustainability,” Mr. Compeau said. “Another really important part of a major gift like this is that it demonstrates commitment to other potential donors. They know that it is a program that is sustainable and has university support behind it, so it is instrumental in helping us move forward.”