Isenberg Dedicates the Douglas and Diana Berthiaume Business Innovation Hub

“The Berthiaumes’ generosity supports our mission and enables us to have further impact in the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world,” said UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes to a crowd gathered in the Learning Commons of the Business Innovation Hub at Isenberg last week.

Alumni, faculty, staff, university administrators, and a large contingent of Isenberg doctoral students attended the ceremony to formally rename the building the Douglas and Diana Berthiaume Business Innovation Hub, celebrating the family’s 2023 record-breaking gift of $20 million which, on top of previous transformative gifts, made them the most generous cash donors in UMass Amherst history.

Anne Massey, dean of the Isenberg School of Management, explained that the gift had already benefited the school, particularly in the areas of faculty hiring and retention, research funding, and doctoral student support. “Like this space, the Berthiaumes’ generosity has had a transformative impact on Isenberg and this campus that cannot be overstated,” she said. The building, which was completed in 2019, added multiple high-tech classrooms to Isenberg’s existing space, along with office suites, areas for company interviews, breakout study rooms, a café, and the large, comfortable Learning Commons where the dedication event took place.

“Daily, this Learning Commons brings together students, faculty, staff, and visitors,” Massey said of the building that will bear the Berthiaumes’ name. “As you walk through, you’ll find students studying, collaborating on projects, networking with recruiters, and—yes—sometimes just hanging out, enjoying a coffee or food from our own Carney Cafe. The space cultivates interaction, discussion, and collaboration across disciplines. It serves as a home base for the next generation of inclusive leaders and change agents who will shape how we live and work.”

University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan praised the Berthiaumes’ generosity as well. “This investment in UMass contributes to the greater good,” he said. “Our flagship campus is a leader in cultivating the entrepreneurial pipeline for the commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

Douglas Berthiaume himself spoke with good humor about his family’s long tradition of philanthropy at UMass Amherst and Isenberg. “I’m encouraged that the ‘Berthiaume’ pronunciation has become well-known in the halls of Isenberg,” he said.

“It’s hard to overstate the importance of Isenberg in my lifetime,” he told the crowd, explaining that as one of five children in a working-class family he would not have had the opportunity to attend a more expensive institution. At UMass Amherst, he majored in accounting. “This was the language of business,” he realized. Armed with his Isenberg degree, he went to work for a public accounting firm, where he had the opportunity and knowledge to evaluate how a broad assortment of businesses were being run.

“That all came together to help form a theory of how businesses worked,” he said. “It led me to being able to take risks, take chances, and be able to bet on this particular future.

“That’s the value of an Isenberg education,” Berthiaume continued. “It’s something that I truly honor – it’s been an important part of what’s helped me be successful in life, and it’s an important part of why Diana and I think it’s important to give back.”