Home Industry News Releases Wine Spectator Learning Center Groundbreaking Held at Sonoma State University

Wine Spectator Learning Center Groundbreaking Held at Sonoma State University

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Napa Valley, CA (June 7, 2016)—Over 300 guests attended the groundbreaking ceremony last week for the Wine Spectator Learning Center at Sonoma State University (SSU). The $9.2 million facility—fully paid by private donations, led by a $3 million contribution from the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation—will be the centerpiece building for SSU’s Wine Business Institute. It is slated for completion in summer 2017.

California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson were among the many prominent guests, along with Marvin R. Shanken, Wine Spectator editor and publisher; financier and philanthropist Sanford (Sandy) Weill; and William Silver, Dean of the School of Business and Economics at SSU. The ceremony took place at the Rohnert Park campus at SSU, which is a part of the California State University system.

“It’s a special privilege to be able to work with such a great academic institution,” Marvin R. Shanken, Wine Spectator editor and publisher, told the crowd. “Institutions like this one, which train and educate people on the business side of wine—including sales, marketing and finance—will be vital to the industry’s continued growth and success.”

“This is a huge day for Sonoma State and the entire wine community,” said Rep. Thompson, who noted that the wine industry annually contributes $13 billion to the Sonoma county economy and $62 billion to California’s.

Founded in 1996, the institute was the first academic program in the United States to offer degrees focused exclusively on the business aspects of the wine industry. Most students work toward a B.S. in wine business strategies or an M.B.A. in wine business, making it the only school in the U.S. offering a wine industry MBA.

When it’s completed, the Wine Business Institute’s new center will have more than 14,500 square feet of space. There will be three dedicated classrooms, a student commons with areas for collaboration and student-run businesses, and an industry center with space for professional and academic faculty and program leadership.

The Sonoma State University program is just one of several that the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation has contributed to. It has raised more than $20 million to support wine and food education over the past 30 years. Foundation beneficiaries have included students at the University of California at Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology, the Culinary Institute of America, Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Wine Spectator Learning Certer Groundbreaking

Left to right: SSU President Ruben Armiñana, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Dean William Silver, WBI President Ray Johnson, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Wine Spectator’s Marvin R. Shanken and Korbel’s Gary Heck.

About Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches more than 3 million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the Web’s most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms and a series of signature events. Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wine’s role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews of more than 18,000 wines each year. Parent company M. Shanken Comm., Inc., also publishes Cigar AficionadoWhisky Advocate, Market WatchShanken News Daily and Shanken’s Impact Newsletter.

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