Taking Shape

When Board of Trust Chairman Martha Ingram announced the trustees’ approval of a new Vanderbilt fundraising campaign in January 2001, no one could have predicted just how successful it would end up being.

From the Fall 2011 edition of Vanderbilt Business

By | Departments, Special Section

When Board of Trust Chairman Martha Ingram announced the trustees’ approval of a new Vanderbilt fundraising campaign in January 2001, no one could have predicted just how successful it would end up being. Thanks to the generosity of more than 200,000 donors, the Shape the Future campaign, which came to a close this past July, tallied more than $1.94 billion against a $1.75 billion goal. These sizeable numbers, however, tell just part of the story. The campaign’s success is best appreciated on a more personal scale—through the stories of individual donors, whose gifts are changing the lives of students, faculty, staff and others across campus. Here we look at several campaign gifts that will have an impact on the Owen School for many years to come.

By the Numbers

How Owen figured into the campaign

The Owen School raised more than $92 million against a campaign goal of $85 million.

The highlights include:
$34 million for new endowed scholarships
$20 million for programs, research, facilities and technology
$17 million for new faculty chairs
$12 million for unrestricted and discretionary funding, which led to the creation of innovative new offerings such as the MAcc, MSF, MM Health Care, Americas MBA and Accelerator programs
$9 million for funding with pending designations

Bess Henderson’s husband, Bruce Henderson, BE’37, became a professor at Owen in 1985 after retiring from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the global management consulting firm he founded in 1963. Mrs. Henderson worked for BCG for 20 years, retiring at the same time as her husband.
Bess Henderson’s husband, Bruce Henderson, BE’37, became a professor at Owen in 1985 after retiring from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the global management consulting firm he founded in 1963. Mrs. Henderson worked for BCG for 20 years, retiring at the same time as her husband.

FACULTY CHAIR

The Bruce D. Henderson Chair in Strategy, which Bess Henderson endowed in memory of her late husband, enables a faculty member to teach corporate strategy and conduct cutting-edge research of business practices and other essential issues facing CEOs and experienced managers.

“Bruce was devoted to Vanderbilt his entire life. He was an active alum, serving on the School of Engineering’s Committee of Visitors for a number of years. Establishing a graduate school of business at Vanderbilt resulted in long correspondence with other early advocates. It was Bruce’s belief that Owen would become one of the top-rated business schools in the country. I can think of no better way to perpetuate my husband’s legacy in the field of strategy, as well as to honor his memory, than the endowment of this chair.” —Bess Henderson

Worthy of the Name

E. Bronson Ingram chairs leave a lasting legacy

David Ingram, MBA’89, designated several significant gifts to the Owen School during the campaign, including six endowed faculty chairs named in honor of his late father, E. Bronson Ingram. Those chairs are currently held by the following faculty:

  • Nick Bollen, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Finance
  • Paul Chaney, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Accounting
  • Dawn Iacobucci, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing
  • Michael Lapré, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Operations Management
  • David Parsley, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Economics and Finance
  • Steve Posavac, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Marketing

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Dale Leo (left) and Wesley Murry are Founder and Principal, respectively, of Sagebrush Investment Partnership LP, a privately managed investment fund. Leo has worked in the hedge fund industry since 1999; Murry has worked in both consulting and real estate since 2001.
Dale Leo (left) and Wesley Murry are Founder and Principal, respectively, of Sagebrush Investment Partnership LP, a privately managed investment fund. Leo has worked in the hedge fund industry since 1999; Murry has worked in both consulting and real estate since 2001.

The Sagebrush Fund Scholarship, which was endowed by Dale Leo, MBA’05, and Wesley Murry, MBA’06, is available to one incoming first-year student each academic year. The scholarship is intended for those students who have demonstrated: (1) an interest in entering the field of finance, (2) an excellence and drive in both their careers and previous education, and (3) both the maturity and desire needed to become outstanding stewards of the school.

“Establishing the scholarship is a smart investment in the future of business education at Vanderbilt. The seed of our success was sowed within the walls of Owen, and it’s our goal to pay it forward in hopes of inspiring future business leaders and current alumni to do the same.” —Wesley Murry

“Investing in Owen is a no-brainer. It’s where the smart money goes.” —Dale Leo

Thomas Ho is President of Thomas Ho Co., a New York-based financial company that licenses portfolio and risk systems and provides professional services in risk management. He also serves as the FMRC Research Professor of Finance.
Thomas Ho is President of Thomas Ho Co., a New York-based financial company that licenses portfolio and risk systems and provides professional services in risk management. He also serves as the FMRC Research Professor of Finance.

The Hans R. Stoll Scholarship, which was endowed by Thomas Ho and his wife, Mabel Chan, provides scholarship support for students whose intended MBA concentration is in finance or those who are pursuing an MSF degree. The scholarship is named in honor of Ho’s longtime friend and colleague Hans Stoll, the Anne Marie and Thomas B. Walker Jr. Professor of Finance and Director of the Owen School’s Financial Markets Research Center.

“Professor Stoll is a founder of modern finance who has contributed significantly to our understanding of financial markets. Moreover, he is an outstanding scholar who has dedicated himself to the pursuit of knowledge and excellence in education. Mabel and I hope that this scholarship will inspire students as Professor Stoll has inspired us all.” —Thomas Ho

STUDENT SUPPORT

Jim Sohr, BE’86, MBA’90, is the past President and Co-founder of AIM Health Care Services, which provides claims cost management services for government and commercial payers of health care benefits. Sohr is also the Co-founder of CorrectCare Solutions, a provider of health care services to correctional facilities.
Jim Sohr, BE’86, MBA’90, is the past President and Co-founder of AIM Health Care Services, which provides claims cost management services for government and commercial payers of health care benefits. Sohr is also the Co-founder of CorrectCare Solutions, a provider of health care services to correctional facilities.

The Jim and Leah Sohr Family Foundation gift supports the Entrepreneurship Center at the Owen School. The gift provides up to five $25,000 awards annually to Owen students who have developed a detailed business concept deemed viable by their peers and the center’s faculty. This financial support will allow student entrepreneurs to advance the process of building and growing their own businesses.

“Owen helped prepare me for life as an entrepreneur. What better way to give back to the school than to allow future graduates to share in the dream of becoming successful entrepreneurs themselves, who then can provide jobs and give back to their own communities. I also wanted to help Owen compete with other top-tier schools in drawing the most capable students to campus.” —Jim Sohr

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Although the Shape the Future campaign has ended, the Owen School still needs funding for several key initiatives. Among the greatest needs are more endowed scholarships, improved technology and a new, larger facility that will help us compete with other leading business schools. Year in and year out, your generosity is crucial to our success, and we thank you for your continued support.