NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright to speak at installation of first Robert C. Wright Chair in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution at Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business

NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright to speak at installation of first Robert C. Wright Chair in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution at Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business

Image: Robert Wright

The Charles F. Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University has named the Robert C. Wright Chair in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution in honor of the chairman and chief executive officer of NBC Universal and vice chairman and executive officer of General Electric Company. Lucy Katz, J.D., has been honored as the first holder of the position. This is the third Dolan School of Business chair made possible by an endowment provided to the school by Charles and Helen Dolan.

An installation ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 15, at 8 p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. The ceremony will feature remarks by Wright and Dr. Katz. This event is free and open to the public.

Wright was named president and chief executive officer of NBC in 1986 and became chairman and chief executive officer in 2001. He has had one of the longest and most successful tenures of any media company chief executive. Under his leadership, NBC was transformed from a broadcast network into a global media powerhouse with leadership in broadcast network television, cable programming, station ownership, and television production. With the formation in 2004 of NBC Universal, Wright is now at the helm of one of the world's preeminent media and entertainment companies.

Wright has been the recipient of numerous honors, most recently the 2005 Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center for fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach, and social action. Also in 2005, the Columbia Business School honored Wright with its Distinguished Leadership in Business Award.

Along with his wife, Suzanne, Wright serves as co-founder of Autism Speaks, a new initiative dedicated to raising public awareness and research funds to find the answers to autism. He holds degrees from College of the Holy Cross and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Dr. Lucy Katz will hold the Robert C. Wright Chair in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution for five years, at which time it is renewable. Dr. Katz joined Fairfield University in 1983 as an assistant professor of business law. She teaches both undergraduate and MBA courses in the legal and ethical environment of business, negotiation and dispute resolution, human resource law and law, women and work.

Dr. Katz has contributed to three books and is the author of numerous articles on law appearing in a variety of publications. She was one of the two original co-coordinators of the Women's Studies program and recently completed a term as chair of the Management Department. Recently, Dr. Katz's writing has focused on the use of arbitration to resolve business disputes in international commerce, particularly in developing nations like Cuba and Vietnam. Arbitration is a boon to the economic development of those countries because it encourages outside investors who might be afraid of counting on local court systems to adjudicate a disagreement fairly, she said.

"It is especially gratifying that this chair recognizes the three areas of law, ethics and dispute resolution. Fairfield and the Dolan School of Business have thus communicated the message that all three are vital in today's business environment, and so play an important role in business education," Dr. Katz said.

"We are very, very fortunate to have Dr. Katz as a faculty member. She is a distinguished scholar, teacher and administrator. She has earned the respect of her peers and of her students," said Dolan School of Business Dean Norm Solomon, Ph.D. "Dr. Katz is a wonderful colleague and a wonderful inspiration to all who have the privilege of working with her. That she will be named as the first Robert C. Wright Chair in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution is fitting and proper given the ideals Bob Wright's career epitomize."

The creation of distinguished academic chairs is an initiative to sustain ever-emerging excellence at an institution of higher education. Such chairs, once established, signal recognition of quality of faculty, programs and schools.

Faculty chairs not only acknowledge outstanding scholarship on the part of current faculty, but also communicate to prospective faculty that the institution holds that discipline in high esteem.

The other funded chairs within the Dolan School of Business are the Gerald M. Levin Chair in Finance, held by Dr. Gregory Koutmos, and The Rev. Thomas R. Fitzgerald, S.J. Chair in Marketing, held by Dr. Arjun Chaudhuri.

The Charles F. Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University is a leader in business curriculum innovation. An AACSB International-accredited program, The Dolan School annually serves 1,500 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs, preparing students to advance within their professions and empowering them to become leaders in their fields. In addition to substantial professional business experience, faculty members are recognized nationally and internationally for their scholarship. The School itself is housed in a technology-rich building dedicated to excellence in a business-learning environment - a facility that is among the best in the nation. For more information on the Dolan School of Business program offerings, call (203) 254-4070, or e-mail gradadmis@mail.fairfield.edu.

Posted On: 10-15-2005 10:10 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 72