Long-time friend of the CarPro Show and DFW Premier partner Dr. Sam Pack is being honored in a big way by Tarleton State University. We're excited to share that the University's College of Business will bear his name. The Texas A&M System Board of Regents approved the naming last week. This isn't the first honor the University's bestowed on Dr. Pack. Last spring, he received an honorary doctorate from Tarleton State, its highest recognition. We congratulate Dr. Pack on this latest honor!
Read more in the University's press release below:
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Feb 8, 2024: The Texas A&M System Board of Regents today approved the naming of Tarleton State University’s College of Business in honor of esteemed supporter Dr. Sam Pack.
This is just the second time that Tarleton State has named an academic college for an individual, with the Dr. Sam Pack College of Business joining the Mayfield College of Engineering with the distinction.
A steadfast backer of the university, Dr. Pack has made a historic contribution exceeding $10 million, representing the largest cash gift ever bestowed upon Tarleton State.
“Our university is blessed to have a friend and ally like Sam,” said Tarleton State President Dr. James Hurley. “He believes in the power of higher education and our quest to provide access, opportunity and affordability to more Texans. Sam is relentless in support of that vision, and we are honored to have his name prominently centered around our College of Business.”
“Helping to fulfill the dreams of Tarleton State students is an incredible opportunity for our family,” Dr. Pack said. “The vision Dr. Hurley has for the university is special and will be felt in the region and beyond for years to come. It is our honor to be a part of supporting this wonderful institution.”
As the owner of Pack Automotive Group in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Dr. Pack generously supports more than 300 nonprofits, service organizations and community events.
Last spring, Dr. Hurley presented Pack with an honorary doctorate of humane letters for his humanitarian and philanthropic contributions over the years.
“The importance of Sam to Tarleton State cannot be overstated,” Dr. Hurley said. “He cares about all of our Texans and the future of our great university.”
Dr. Pack has contributed to numerous areas at Tarleton State, including the food pantry, President’s Circle, the Dr. James and Kindall Hurley Scholarship Endowment, and the Tarleton State University Pack Automotive Group Intern Program.
He has served the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1980 with dealerships in Carrollton, North Richland Hills, Lewisville, Dallas and Grapevine. Additionally, he owns six in Tulsa, Okla.
In 1988, his business and community leadership garnered him national TIME Dealer of the Year accolades. No other dealer in Texas has received the award since, with Pack joined by Roy Butler in 1972 as the sole recipients from the Lone Star State.
Dr. Pack was honored as a Texas Automobile Dealers Association Legend in 2006 and was named to Ford’s inaugural Top Volume Dealers Hall of Fame in 2016.
Tarleton State’s College of Business, which will now be named in honor of Dr. Pack, offers undergraduate programs with specializations in accounting, management information systems, finance, general business, human resource management, international business, management, marketing computer information systems, economics and information technology.
Graduate programs include accounting, management, business administration, human resource management, information systems, and logistics and supply chain management. A new marketing graduate program is pending approval.
All programs within the College of Business are fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Fewer than six percent of business schools in the world are accredited by the AACSB, which is the premier business school accrediting body.
Photo Credit: Tarleton State University & Sam Pack.