The late Manhattan accountant Joseph I. Lubin gave generously of his time, expertise and money to Syracuse University. He was honored with the naming of Lubin House, SU's New York City headquarters, after him. But his daughter and son-in-law, Ann '48 and Alfred Goldstein, wanted to make sure he would be remembered on campus as well. That is why they gave $5 million to the School of Management to create the Joseph I. Lubin School of Accountancy.
"There is nothing now on campus that recognizes all that he did for Syracuse," says Alfred Goldstein. "We wanted to make sure his devotion to the University wouldn't be forgotten."
Lubin, who headed the accounting firm of Eisner & Lubin, was a graduate of Pace College and New York University Law School. He was a member of SU's Board of Trustees and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University in 1952. In 1964, he donated to SU the six-story building that became Lubin House in New York City. In 1955, he donated Lubin Hall, a building on the SU campus that housed the School of Business Administration's departments of finance, law and public policy, marketing management and transportation. The building was demolished in 1987.
In addition to establishing the Lubin School of Accountancy, the Goldsteins' gift will also will fund the Joseph I. Lubin Presidential Chair in Accounting, the Joseph I. Lubin Faculty Fellowship in Accounting, the Joseph I. Lubin Floor in the School of Management's planned new building on the corner of Marshall Street and University Avenue and the Joseph I. Lubin Endowed Fund for Accounting.
The School of Management will seek a prominent accounting educator to fill the Lubin Presidential Chair by the time the school's new building is completed in 2004. The Lubin Faculty Fellowships will be used to recruit high-quality junior faculty, while the endowed fund will be used to enhance the School of Accountancy in various ways, such as for summer faculty stipends, student awards, conferences and guest speakers.
"I'm really excited about this gift," says John D. Sellars, senior vice president for institutional advancement. "Being a CPA myself, I realize the importance of accounting to the business community, and I'm very pleased to be part of the establishment of the Joseph I. Lubin School of Accountancy."
"We anticipate this gift will do two things," says Alfred Goldstein. "We expect it to enhance the reputation of the school of accountancy, and that reputation will [contribute] to the reputation of the School of Management. Both the School of Accountancy and the School of Management will increase in viability and visibility."
Goldstein is a member of the Chancellor's Council at SU, and has been active on the executive, endowment and development committees and served as co-chair of the trustee gifts committee for the Campaign for Syracuse. He is a former member of SU's Board of Trustees, who was elected to honorary status in 1998. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by SU in 1985. He has served on the boards of visitors of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the College of Law, and on the Parents Association Board.
Goldstein is retired as president of Elk Realty, a private real estate development, sales and management firm based in New Rochelle. He is president of the Alfred and Ann Goldstein Foundation, and serves on several boards of trustees.
The Goldsteins made major donations to name the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center in 1983; the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Student Center on South Campus, which opened in 1990; and the Goldstein Faculty and Alumni Center in 1997. Their three children, Wendy, Steven and Richard, all graduated from SU.
"We thank Al and Ann Goldstein for their generosity and confidence in the School of Management and the accounting department," says George R. Burman, dean of the School of Management. "Strengthening any piece of the School of Management strengthens the whole school and will in the end benefit our students."
"This gift will accelerate our progress toward becoming a leading student-centered accounting department. It will allow us to attract and retain faculty who are nationally recognized for their outstanding scholarship, to enhance the quality of our programs, and to make our graduates even more marketable than they currently are. In short, it will move our department and school to a higher level," says Gerald J. Lobo, chair of the School of Management's Department of Accounting.
