In the tight-money environment that now prevails, new programs and curriculum innovations, which are very expensive to bring on-line, must raise their own funding. The college is fortunate to have visionary alumni and friends who see the importance of breaking new ground in the quick-silver world economy that has become the norm.
|
The highly touted Project Discovery, the new accounting curriculum, and the innovative Program in Technology Management are meeting with great success only because outside funding was sought and found for these programs. To remain a vibrant force among business programs in institutions of higher learning, we must be sure that our curriculum keeps pace and that new, exciting programs are created. We can and do succeed with the help of donors. |
Norton Bedford, Emeritus Arthur Young Distinguished Professor of Accountancy, has made a gift of stocks to the University of Illinois -- present value at $12,525. One thousand dollars is in support of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; the remainder goes to support the Fund for Excellence in the Department of Accountancy. Bedford joined the Illinois faculty in February 1954 and served as head of the Department of Accountancy from 1974-81. He has a B.B.A. (1940) and MBA (1947) from Tulane University and a Ph.D. (1950) from Ohio State University. During his long and distinguished career he won many honors, including Outstanding Educator Award from AICPA (1987) and ISCPA (1986), American Accounting Association Outstanding Educator (1980), Accountant of the Year from Beta Alpha Psi (1976), and numerous awards from his alma maters. A prolific publisher, Bedford is the author of many books, monographs, chapters in books, and articles on a variety of accounting issues, including accounting education, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and analytic accounting.
Bedford, like many of our current and retired faculty, remains committed to the College of Commerce and underwrites that commitment with financial support.
Ivan and Dorris Bull have pledged a gift of more that $250,000 to the College of Commerce to be used to enhance the Entrepreneurship Program and the Office for Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Income from the Ivan and Dorris Bull Fund may be used to further research, teaching, and outreach activities in the field of entrepreneurship or to supplement the salary of an outstanding director of OBIE. Professor Bull says he considers the gift as a symbolic repayment for the opportunity to associate with an outstanding faculty and bright students.
Ivan Bull is professor emeritus of Accountancy and Finance. He still continues to teach one course per semester even though retired. His has been a highly varied and interesting career. After earning a B.S. in accounting from the University of Iowa in 1947, Professor Bull joined the firm now known as McGladrey & Pullen, LLP, as a staff accountant. He retired in 1982 after sixteen years as managing partner. Shortly after this first retirement, he enrolled in the Ph.D. program in accountancy at Illinois. when he completed that degree in 1987, Illinois immediately hired him as a full professor and director of the Office for Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a position he held until his second retirement in 1992.
During his two careers, Ivan Bull has garnered many honors, including: 1992 Commerce Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching; 1986 Outstanding Accounting alumnus Award and 1982 Iowa Business Leadership Award, both from the University of Iowa; 1975-76 chairman of the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; and 1948 Elija Watt Sells Silver Medal on the CPA examination.
Nancy and A. James Heins have left a bequest of $100,000 to support the College of Commerce and Business Administration and the Executive MBA Program. In describing his reasons for the bequest, Heins said "I love the University of Illinois and the taxpayers of the state almost as much as I love my kids."
Jim Heins, a specialist in applied macroeconomics and public finance, joined the economics faculty in 1960. In addition to teaching in the department, he taught many courses for the Executive Development Center and the EMBA. Although he retired in 1991, Jim continued to teach in the EMBA program until 1996. Professor Heins earned a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin (1953, 1957, 1961).
Charles W. Huegy, class of 1949, has made a deferred gift of $35,000 in support of the marketing program at Illinois. Mr. Huegy's father, Harvey "Hix" Huegy, was a professor management and marketing at Illinois from 1930 until his retirement in 1965. He served as head of the marketing department for ten years.
Charles Huegy earned a master's at the University of Michigan (1958) and a Ph.D. (1968) from Indiana University. Before retiring he was president of Polygenics. He and his wife JoEllen live in Irvine, California.
"We think the Project discovery program is an excellent way to get people ready for the work world. The students in the program will be able to interview better, too."
Jill Griffin/Jim Follette
TransUnion Corporation
Richard and Grace Leighton have made a gift of $200,000 to the College of Commerce. Part of the income from the endowed fund is for unrestricted use; apart is for the Richard T. and Grace H. Leighton Endowment for Business Ethics. Specifically, the fund will help underwrite the MBA course entitled Managing Change: Challenges and Leadership Perspectives in Business Ethics. This first-year MBA course brings executives to class each week to discuss business ethics and other issues involved in the process of managing change.
Mr. Leighton earned a B.S. in accountancy from Illinois in 1949 and taught accounting while doing graduate studies and becoming a CPA in 1950. In 1975 he was an "Executive-in-Residence"at the college. When he retired from Barber-Colman Company in Rockford he was senior vice president-finance.
Ann and Ralph Mason have made a bequest of $400,000 to the University of Illinois to be shared by the School of Music and the College of Commerce. In Commerce, income from the endowed fund will support marketing education.
Ralph Mason was chairman of the Department of Business and Marketing Education at Indiana State University when he retired. He earned a doctorate in business administration at the University of Illinois in 1961 and taught at the college from 1956 to 1964. Ann Mason earned an M.S. in Music Education at Illinois. She taught voice for many years. Although retired now, she continues to sing in her church choir. After retiring, the Masons moved from Terre Haute to Maysville, Kentucky. Ralph continues to keep his hand in by teaching marketing at the local community college.
The State Farm Companies Foundation has agreed to make a gift of $100,000 to the insurance program. On March 5th Kelly Langen and Ray Nierstheimer presented the first installment to Dean Howard Thomas and Professor Steve D'Arcy.
State Farm has agreed to give the college $20,000 per year for five years to strengthen the insurance program at Illinois.