August 26, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
Peterson first to hold spot
Journal Staff ReportRobin Peterson, marketing professor at New Mexico State University, will serve as the first holder of the Robin T. Peterson Endowed Chair in Marketing. Brad Gordon, a successful former NMSU student, created the chair in Peterson's honor with a donation valued at more than $500,000.
The Peterson chair was created when Gordon donated 10,000 shares of Celgene stock, valued at more than $500,000, to the College of Business. The chair received matching funds from the state, bringing the endowment to more than $1 million. Earnings from the endowment go toward the salary of the faculty member holding the chair, program development and other needs.
“This is an honor and certainly reflects the benevolence of one of our alumni,” Peterson said. “Brad is an outstanding individual. Not only is he truly brilliant and successful, he has always had tremendous people skills.”
Gordon earned a degree in marketing from NMSU in 1978. He graduated near the top of his class in business, a major accomplishment for someone who had failed in previous attempts to obtain a degree at other universities. After finishing school, Gordon worked in venture capital and then turned to launching several companies in tandem with other entrepreneurs. Since 1981 Gordon has been involved in the startup of eleven companies, mostly in the biotech field.
There are now four, $1 million or more chairs in the College of Business: the Mountain States Insurance Group Endowed Chair, the Garrey E. and Katherine T. Carruthers Chair in Economic Development, the Robin T. Peterson Endowed Chair in Marketing and the Stan Fulton Chair in Business.