Entrepreneur Roland W. Betts '68 has joined the Yale Corporation as the newest alumni fellow. The alumnus was elected to the University's governing body in a nationwide balloting of Yale graduates. Betts is creator and principal owner of Chelsea Piers, L.P., which developed and operates the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex in New York City. Now in its third year of operation, Chelsea Piers, where Betts serves as chair and chief executive officer, has become the second most popular site in New York City with 3.8 million visitors in 1998. Located on the Hudson River, the sprawling 1.7 million-square-foot complex includes ice skating rinks, roller rinks, gymnastics, indoor soccer, basketball, rock climbing, a four-tier golf driving range, a comprehensive health club, sound stages, restaurants and other facilities. It also serves as the production site for the television shows "Law and Order" and "Spin City" as well as for films, and it offers year-round athletic programs for children and a summer camp attended by some 2,500 children annually. Betts is also founder and president of Silver Screen Management, Inc., which raised more than $1 billion from investors to finance and produce over 75 films with the Walt Disney Company. These include "Beauty and the Beast," "Pretty Woman," "The Little Mermaid" and "Three Men and a Baby." In addition, he is the president of International Film Investors, Inc., which produced and financed such films as "Gandhi" and "The Killing Fields." The alumnus has been an active volunteer for the University. He serves on the Yale Alumni Fund's Special Gifts Committee and has been a member of the Yale Corporation's Committee for Buildings and Grounds. During the University's recent capital campaign, he served on the New York City Executive Committee. At Yale, Betts pursued an intensive major in American studies. He credits the University with providing not only a rich intellectual environment but also a meaningful social experience. "I think the most influential aspect of my Yale years is the group of friends I made there," says the alumnus. "Those relationships have continued to be a big part of my life." Many of his closest business associates and both of his partners, Betts notes, are fellow Yale graduates. After graduation, Betts taught at Intermediate School 201, a public school in central Harlem. He also trained teachers as part of a not-for-profit corporation called The Teachers Incorporated. He remained in public education as a teacher and assistant principal until 1975. Betts described his experiences in the public school system in his book "Acting Out: Coping with Big City Schools," published by Little Brown in 1978. After graduating from Columbia Law School in 1978, Betts practiced law for several years in the entertainment department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. His work there sharpened his interest in the entertainment industry, particularly in film. His career in film financing was launched in 1980, when he became president of International Film Investors. His work for Chelsea Piers combines his lifelong interest in sports (he played hockey at Yale and for nine years was the lead owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club) and his ambition to create and develop projects that are "sometimes off the beaten path," Betts says. Chelsea Piers L.P. is now evaluating numerous cities around the world to design and build similar projects. "Developing Chelsea Piers was a gamble, and getting the project going was often like rolling big rocks up steep hills," Betts comments. "But I've enjoyed sinking my teeth into the project and the ongoing work of making it the best it can be." Betts also spends time engaged in not-for-profit work. He is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and is a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Parks Council. In addition, he serves on the board of governors of Columbia Law School and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. The alumnus frequently returns to the Yale campus to attend hockey games and is a longtime supporter of the Yale Hockey Association. He continues to play the sport as a hobby. He and his wife, Lois, live in New York City and have two daughters, Margaret (Princeton '99) and Jessica (Yale '98), who is a fifth-generation Yale graduate. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Alumni elect Roland W. Betts as new trustee To the Yale Community Murder on the Nile? Examination suggests Peabody mummy met with . . . Study shows quality of child care affects school performance Endowed Professorships Literary critic Harold Bloom awarded Gold Medal . . . Academy of Arts and Sciences taps three Yale faculty Exhibit recalls art and poetry inspired by the Great War Downtown program will add local flavor to International Festival . . . Show by Peabody artists among Yale-related events during festival Boredom with board games prompts Green to invent new one Beinecke Library acquires papers of noted theater director The University honors its long-serving staff members Three Yale teachers are selected as Guggenheim Fellows Schell Center for International Human Rights announces new appointments . . . Traveling fellowships are awarded for students' research Downs Fellows to study health issues around the world during the summer Students make cross-country trek on behalf of charity Summer Cabaret marks 25th year of 'ambitious theater' Tours of historic Grove Street Cemetery are being offered How to order extra copies of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events| Bulletin Board Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff Public Affairs Home|News Releases|E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page

 Roland W. Betts