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(Sarasota, FL, April 14, 2005) – Vernon Buchanan, chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and chairman and CEO of Buchanan Automotive Group, donated $100,000 to the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Crosley Campus Center Fundraising Initiative. The College of Business wing will be named in honor of Buchanan’s generosity.

The state-of-the-art Crosley Campus Center is scheduled to open fall 2006. Matching funds under the Alec P. Courtelis Facility Enhancement Challenge grant from the Florida Division of Colleges and Universities brings the total new dollars to $200,000. This 100-percent matching grant is a one-time opportunity only available during new construction to provide funds for state-of-the-art technology and enhancements.  

“Quality higher education is imperative to a strong local economy. Supporting the growth of a university with the stature of USF Sarasota-Manatee ensures a healthy, well-educated workforce,” said Buchanan. “This university distinguishes our community from just being a good place to live and makes it a good place to do business as well.”

Originally from Michigan, Buchanan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cleary College and went on to attain his M.B.A. at the University of Detroit. He then founded American Speedy Printing, which grew to 720 outlets worldwide before it was sold in 1989. In 1990, he relocated to Florida where he founded Buchanan Enterprises, a diverse group of companies that began with Buchanan Automotive Group and has expanded to include aviation, real estate, investments and more. He serves on numerous community and civic boards, and has received many accolades, including recently being named to the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame.  

The Crosley Campus Center will be a 100,000-square-foot facility with 24 classrooms; a 190-seat lecture/exhibition hall; seminar and video-conferencing rooms; computer labs; a daycare center; student gathering places; faculty and staff offices; a technology and learning center; dining facilities; and training facilities for the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Once completed, the Center will offer some 800 courses annually in 37 degree programs.

USF Sarasota-Manatee is an upper-level campus for those with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit. The campus offers the prestige of a national Research 1 university with the convenience of a hometown campus, including classes in south Sarasota County at Manatee Community College Venice.