$2 million gift given to College of Charleston to help expand business school

Real estate developer and entrepreneur Guy Beatty has been a generous benefactor to the College of Charleston business school for years. But it’ll be tough to top his latest donation.

Beatty and his family have given $2 million toward a $9 million complex the school is building on Liberty Street adjacent to its Tate Center for Entrepreneurship. It is the largest single gift bestowed on the college, officials said.

“This significant financial contribution … will further our efforts to develop a nationally pre-eminent school of business and economics at the College of Charleston,” said college President Lee Higdon.

The 40,000-square-foot Beatty Center for the School of Business and Economics is scheduled for completion in spring 2004. The college will mark the start of the project at a ceremony today.

The building will house offices, classrooms and breakout rooms for small groups. Every room will be wired for Internet access.

“That’s really a necessity in today’s education environment,” said Chip Condon, the dean of the business school.

The center also will feature a state-of-the-art electronic trading room that will allow finance students to execute actual and simulated securities transactions. “It shouts business and high technology,” Condon said.

The design of the Beatty Center is still being worked out. On Wednesday, Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review gave preliminary approval to the four-story building, which features large glassed-in areas. The college still must obtain final approval, which deals with smaller details.

The design drew favorable comments during the hearing, although board members and preservationists suggested a number of relatively small changes.

“Generally speaking, we think this is an interesting design,” said Robert Gurley of the Preservation Society of Charleston.

The building, which replaces the recently demolished Arcade Theater, will connect to neighboring business school buildings. The idea is to create one complex, architects said.

Condon said the center will help raise the profile of the fast-growing business school. “It’s really going to speak of the quality of the programs within,” he said.

The project marks the second major expansion for the business school since 1997. The last time it needed funds to pay for new space, it got a $1.5 million lift from Baby Superstore founder Jack Tate.

Beatty’s daughter graduated from the business school, and he has been involved in various college committees. He and his family have given scholarship aid to business school majors.

Beatty, who lives in Charleston, has been involved in the development of 40 companies in fields that include real estate, music and entertainment.

His Virginia-based real estate enterprises have built, managed and owned shopping centers, office buildings, industrial parks and apartments. One of his development companies built a shopping center in Goose Creek and an office building in North Charleston.