Wolstein Gateway dedicated on Fisher campus

Published: 2013-04-26

The occasional gusts of unseasonably chilly wind and sprinkle of rain could neither dampen nor diminish the outpouring of affection and gratitude to Iris S. Wolstein and her late husband Bart.

Formally, the event was a ribbon cutting and dedication of the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Gateway on the Fisher campus. However, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee, who spoke at the ceremony, precisely captured the poignant sentiment of the event and new structure. 

“This is just symbolic,” Gee said, referring to the architectural structure behind him. “Today, we celebrate this symbol with substance--the difference that the Wolsteins have made in the lives of so many—that’s what we are here to celebrate.”

Last fall, the Bertram L. and Iris S. Wolstein Foundation committed $4.9 million to Ohio State, with $1.5 million given to the Department of Athletics and $3.4 million to Fisher to create the Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative Fund.

“The Wolstein name joins a number of other wonderful patrons to this college, like Schoenbaum, Mason, Gerlach and, of course, Max Fisher,” said Christine A. Poon, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher. 

“The (Wolsteins) are two people who believed deeply that entrepreneurship, ideas, and imagination can transform communities and make the world a much, much better place to be,” Poon said. “We love you, Iris, we thank you, and we are eternally grateful to you for entrusting to us the care and shepherding and the inspiration of these entrepreneurship students, these entrepreneurs of the future.”

Jake Mendel, one of 14 Wolstein Scholars studying entrepreneurship at Fisher, spoke on behalf of his classmates at the ceremony. 

“Due to Mrs. Wolstein’s incredibly generous contribution, I was able to experience what it meant to be an entrepreneur,” Mendel said. “I was given a taste of what it meant to put your blood, your sweat and your tears into a business and see the final product.”

The Wolstein Scholars were enrolled in Associate Professor Sharon Alvarez’s entrepreneurship courses in the Department of Management and Human Resources. The scholars were given one semester to develop an idea, build a business and have a live operating firm by the end of the spring semester. The students had to pitch their business concepts to a panel of established entrepreneurs and industry experts.

“At first, we were terrified,” Mendel said. “Because of this program, we learned how to prepare more, to anticipate what was going to happen and to gain confidence. By the end of the semester, we were very comfortable in very difficult and stressful situations. Mrs. Wolstein, I can’t thank you enough on behalf of all the scholars who are here.”

“This class gave me the opportunity to do what no other class has, and even fewer in the country do: the ability to practice the tools I’d been given in the entrepreneurship classroom.” 

In her concluding remarks, Mrs. Wolstein said, “I am so thrilled to continue Bart’s legacy of entrepreneurship … these young adults are fantastic, and I know they are going to do well."