When The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation dedicates the new Alan Barry Accounting Lab Tuesday, Sept. 23, it will recognize and honor the alumnus whose gift made it reality.

Alan H. Barry, a 1966 graduate of the college, made the generous leadership donation to establish a unique accounting lab to help students who love accounting as much as he did.

“As an accounting grad, it’s always nice to look for ways to help students who are like I was,” Barry, retired president and chief operating officer of Masco Corp., said. “This lab is something that will be used by many students, and because I was already involved with the College of Business, it just made sense to support it.”

“The University of Toledo is so fortunate to have generous alumni like Alan Barry who achieve great success and then give back to ensure our students today have access to the very best tools and help them succeed,” said UT Interim President Nagi Naganathan. “The Alan Barry Accounting Lab will be integral to students’ education and their success for years to come and help us showcase Alan’s contribution.”

The dedication will be held at 1 p.m. The Alan Barry Accounting Lab is located in Savage & Associates Business Complex Room 2130.

“The Alan Barry Accounting Lab is one of the things that we can do for business students that is not done elsewhere,” Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation, said. “We are a business school, and we have business professionals who can help us. Furthermore, the establishment of the lab again demonstrates the college’s continuing vibrant relationship with the regional business community.”

This lab will be the first one nationwide to have a certified management accountant (CMA) lab license, where students can have free access to review material to prepare for the CMA exam, according to Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the UT Accounting Department.

“For the community, the lab will serve as the location of the free income tax preparation assistance the College of Business and Innovation provides each year to qualified low- to moderate-income individuals and families in the Toledo area during the spring income tax filing season,” HassabElnaby said.

Barry and his wife, Karen, also have made generous gifts in recent years to the Alan and Karen Barry Scholarship Fund, which provides support for full-time UT business accounting students based on both merit and needs. He also is active in the UT Alumni Association, was a Blue Key Member, and currently serves on the UT Foundation Board of Trustees.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Sept. 23, 2014)
Accounting Tomorrow (Sept. 29, 2014)

Tags: College of Business and Innovation