Jay H. Shidler donates $25 million to University of Hawaii College of Business Administration

Largest gift ever will transform business program

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Carolyn Tanaka, (808) 956-9803
External Affairs & University Relations
Patrick Williams, (808) 956-6774
University of Hawaii Foundation
Posted: Sep 6, 2006


HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents today voted to accept a $25 million donation from Jay H. Shidler and, in recognition of this historic and transformational gift, name the University of Hawaiʻi College of Business Administration after him. The new name will be the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The gift is the largest single donation to UH through the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, the university‘s private, nonprofit partner in fundraising. Shidler, an alumnus of the college (BBA ‘68), is a longtime commercial real estate owner who resides in Honolulu. This is the first time a college at UH has been named to honor a private donor.

UH President David McClain said, "This is a day to treasure for the University of Hawaiʻi and for the State of Hawaiʻi. A gift of this magnitude will benefit the college, the UH Mānoa campus and the State of Hawaiʻi for years to come. I want to thank Jay not only for this special gift but also for the generosity he has shown our institution over many years. He is truly helping UH create the future for the people of Hawaiʻi."

"We are grateful to Jay Shidler for his extraordinary investment in our vision to propel our business program into the top rank of the nation‘s business schools," said Vance Roley, dean of the newly named Shidler College of Business. "Jay embodies the values we strive to instill in our outstanding new business people — entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, discerning business judgment, integrity and a sense of community.

"Our programs for international business are already ranked among the nation‘s best. Our goal now is to have our entire program join the country‘s elite. We‘re committed to that."

According to Roley, the gift will support:
· Growing student aid with more scholarships.
· Additional endowed faculty positions to attract nationally recognized instructors, lecturers and researchers.
· Increased faculty support including summer research support and visiting faculty.
· Program and academic support including a daytime MBA program to complement the college‘s existing evening program.

"I‘m genuinely honored and humbled to have my name associated with the University of Hawaiʻi‘s business program," Shidler said. "It‘s my school. It helped prepare me for a career in business and launch The Shidler Group decades ago. But never did I imagine being in a position to contribute to UH like this. I share Dean Roley‘s vision for taking the business school to new heights and am grateful to be able to support his vision.

"I love Hawaiʻi and want our community, its residents and businesses to have access to a top-ranked business school within our state. I believe Hawaiʻi is not only a special place in which to do business but also a viable place from which to conduct geographically diverse businesses. Having a strong business school will enhance our state‘s ability to play a larger role in national and international commerce."

UH Mānoa Interim Chancellor Denise Konan said, "The college is one of many areas of excellence on our campus. Private giving expands our resources and is crucial to providing the margin of success for our students, faculty and programs. The generosity of donors helps us to educate Hawaiʻi‘s next generation of leaders in business, government and the community."

According to the UH Foundation, Shidler‘s donation is the lead gift in the school‘s Centennial Campaign, which is the most ambitious fund-raising campaign in the state‘s history.

"I want to thank Jay for his commitment to furthering public higher education in Hawaiʻi," said UH Foundation President Donna Vuchinich. "Philanthropy to public universities is a centuries-old tradition. Alumni, parents, corporations and foundations have long understood that the ability of public universities to achieve their mission is strengthened when state support is augmented by private funds."

Shidler is a former UH Foundation board member (1994-1997). His philanthropic foundation — The Shidler Family Foundation — has supported the University of Hawaiʻi with nearly $175,000 in private gifts over several years, supporting programs in business, creative media and astronomy, among others.

After graduating from the University of Hawaiʻi in 1968, Shidler was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. He left military service in 1971, returning to Honolulu to form The Shidler Group in 1972. A nationally acknowledged expert in real estate investment and finance, Shidler received the 2006 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (Hawaiʻi) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Based in Honolulu, The Shidler Group owns and manages properties across the country, including significant holdings in Honolulu, New York, Southern California and Arizona. The company is also the largest owner of premium office space in Honolulu.

In addition, The Shidler Group founded three publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) — First Industrial Realty Trust (NYSE:FR), Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE:OFC) and TriNet Corporate Realty Trust (Formally NYSE: TRI, now part of Istar Financial NYSE: SFI). It also founded Primus Guaranty, Ltd. (NYSE:PRS), a Bermuda-based holding company whose primary subsidiary, Primus Financial Products, is a $15 billion, AAA/Aaa rated provider of credit default protection.

Over the past 30 years, through its public and private entities, The Shidler Group has acquired, owned and operated more than 2,000 properties containing over 150 million square feet of commercial real estate.

About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation‘s top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the college is a professional school, offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The college places a strong emphasis on the development of management skills, entrepreneurship and the management of business information technology. The Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawai'i accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.cba.hawaii.edu .

About the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all 10 UH campuses. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu .

About The Shidler Group
For more information, visit www.shidler.com .

About Jay H. Shidler
To view a biography of Jay H. Shidler, visit http://www.hawaii.edu/news/docs/shidler_bio.pdf .