Finishing touches
Meet the Donors
PACCAR Hall construction is in the home stretch
Always an occasion for inspirational stories and life-changing personal connections, the Foster School’s annual Scholarship Breakfast was the venue for an especially meaningful connection this year. For Barbara and Walter Tomashoff, it was “exciting and thrilling, truly,” to discover that Angelo Ongpin (BA 2003), a past recipient of the scholarship named in memory of one of their twin sons, had joined them at their table. The Conrad Tomashoff Endowed Accounting Scholarship was established to support an undergraduate accounting major and a twin when possible. Angelo and his twin brother, Victor (BA 2004), had received the scholarship in 2002. “As we learned about what he has been doing and what he is doing and his plans for the future,” she said, “it was just wonderful. And the idea that he credits our scholarship in any way was great.” Bringing scholarship recipients together with the families, individuals, and companies dedicated to helping Foster students afford their education makes the breakfast one of the school’s premier events. This
It’s down to drywall. Okay, that may be an oversimplified status report for the construction of PACCAR Hall, but that’s about the shape of it. The soaring brick and glass exterior of the new $95 million home of the Foster School of Business is in fine form and nearly complete. Inside is still bustling, with more than 100 workers daily painting walls, hanging doors, laying flooring, and installing AV technology. “All of which is to say that the job is almost done,” says Pete Dukes, the Durwood L. Alkire Endowed Professor of Accounting and chair of the Foster School’s Building Committee. The PACCAR Hall project, the first on campus to be financed solely by private philanthropy, is on track for “substantial completion” June 28, a technical event that means all of the necessary safety systems are installed and operating so the building can be entered without a hard hat. The building’s systems will be commissioned in July and August. After a two-year construction process that has remained on time and on budget, the building is well on schedule to be ready for fall classes and its grand opening in October. “It’s really going to be cool,” Dukes says. “When you walk into the building it feels so open, so interactive. The classrooms are roomy, the breakout rooms are bright and inviting, the technology is incredible. PACCAR Hall is turning out even better than we envisioned.” n
Annual scholarship breakfast celebrates connections that change lives
year, more than 300 students, donors, faculty, and staff attended the breakfast and celebrated the powerful impact of 273 Foster students receiving scholarships totaling $1.4 million. For the Tomashoffs, the scholarship named for Conrad (BA 1986) is a constant reminder of the great impact their son was having on the world before he tragically died in 1994, just three weeks shy of his 30th birthday. “It’s a great feeling and comfort to know that we have been able to accomplish what we think our son had in mind,” Barbara said when reflecting on the many years Conrad’s scholarship has been improving the lives of Foster students. n
Dean of Distinction Jiambalvo cited in “best of” 2009 lists Foster School Dean Jim Jiambalvo was named “Best Leader in Education” by Seattle Business, and “Most Influential” by Seattle magazine. “Jiambalvo has been instrumental in improving the school’s ranking on the U.S. News & World Report list of full-time public school MBA programs, up from 13th in 2008 to eighth in 2009,” noted Seattle Business in its “Best and Worst of Business 2009” listing in December. In its 2009 “Power List,” Seattle magazine described the dean as having “re-energized the [Foster School’s] capital campaign, pulling in some $65 million in major gifts during the campaign’s final year in 2008.” The magazine also credits him with re-envisioning the business school’s new home—PACCAR Hall and the replacement of Balmer Hall—though the dean is quick to share credit with President Mark Emmert and the Foster School Advisory Board for these successes. n
Visit the PACCAR Hall Web page S prin g 2010
5