Fordyce Family Supports Classroom Enhancements Through Endowed Lectureship

      "Dick loved talking to students about a career in market research," says Pat Fordyce (MS Natural Science '66), about her husband, the late Richard R. Fordyce (BA General Business Administration '55, MBA Marketing '62), who has been acknowledged by many as a pioneering practitioner in market research for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

"He was passionate about developing marketing research as a profession and he loved sharing his work life experiences with students in university classrooms wherever he was invited to speak," she says. "He always hoped that he would be that someone students encountered during their college years who would steer them toward a career in market research that would be as rewarding for them as it had been for him."

In honor of that strong interest in presenting executive lectures in college classrooms, his family - spouse Pat and daughters, Debra, Katherine and Sarah - has established an endowed fund in the Broad School to support such lectureships to bring industry executives to the graduate and undergraduate classrooms.

The Richard R. Fordyce Speaker Series, as it will be known, is intended to enhance education at the Broad School for all students through presentations by those in practice in the business world.

"We chose the Broad School for this endowment because of Dick's great Fordyce Family supports classroom enhancements through endowed lectureship affection for his alma mater. When he graduated from high school and headed for college, Michigan State was the only choice for him. He didn't even apply to other colleges," says Pat.

Throughout his career, he valued the foundation that his business degree provided. "At the time he entered business, very few companies did the kind of research that he was interested in. They did marketing, but not marketing research, and that's what he really wanted to pursue," says Pat.

It wasn't long before Dick emerged as a strong advocate for the marketing research profession and practice. In 1961, he and others founded the Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Group (PMRG), an independent, non-profit association with the goal of fostering development of the profession through improved research techniques, higher standards and continuing education for its practitioners. In 2002, the RR Fordyce Award was created in his name through PMRG to recognize members who exemplify the excellence, innovation and integrity he set forth for the industry.

In 1968, Fordyce joined Ortho Pharmaceuticals soon after it was founded in 1967; he spent the next 30 years of his career working for Ortho companies. He retired as vice president of Market Research for Ortho-McNeil, one of the Johnson & Johnson companies. He died in 1998.

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Two scholarships endowed to support student travel, study abroad experiences

      When students in The School of Hospitality Business have the chance to learn from hospitality industry leaders in major business and tourism centers in the United States and around the world, there will be one less barrier for them thanks to two scholarships endowed by alumni of The School.

Although endowed in separate agreements, Mark Auerbach (BA Hotel, Motel and Club Management '65) and spouse, Maxine, along with the late Paul A. Smith (BA Hotel Restaurant Management '66) have created endowments to support student educational travel and career networking, in the United States and abroad.

According to Ron Cichy, director of The School of Hospitality Business, it was coincidental, but no surprise, that the scholarships have nearly identical goals.

"Over the years of their involvement with The School, Mark and Paul worked together on many occasions, serving together on the alumni association board of directors and participating in student alumni events," says Cichy. "Their intention of ensuring that students have industry-related travel and networking opportunities is the shared motivation behind these two new endowments."

The Mark and Maxine Auerbach Endowment

      As president of Auerbach Hotel Associates, an executive search firm serving clients in the hotel and resort industry, Auerbach often advises the students he mentors to "do your homework when deciding which career path to take. Check out the corporate culture, the management style, political influences, stability of the company and the work environment." The Auerbachs' endowment, established in 2006, provides funds to support the domestic travel of hospitality students to broaden their exposure to the industry and its leaders, as well as for internships and/or other educational experiences.

"Today's hospitality industry is very different from the one I entered in 1965. It's even more important for students to see and learn all they can about the industry before they leave school. Those experiences will better equip them to recognize the right job opportunity for them when the time comes," says Mark.

Mark was inducted into The School's Alumni Association Wall of Fame Class of Owners in 2006 during the "Celebration of Leadership" ceremonies held in New York City.

Paul A. Smith Trust establishes endowment

      The late Paul A. Smith was a third generation hotelier and owner of The Hitching Post Inn Resort & Conference Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who left home in the 60s to venture "out east" for a hospitality business degree at Michigan State University's School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. When he returned to the family business, filled with new knowledge and industry experiences, he worked to take the enterprise to the next level of success. Today, the business is a hospitality landmark attracting visitors, legislative leaders and business people from all over the world.

Throughout his life, Paul credited the classes and professors he had at MSU with expanding his business viewpoint and shaping his future success. He remained involved as a leader in the alumni association of The School of Hospitality Business, and in all of those roles, Paul actively supported student activities that would open doors to experiences and connections in the global hospitality business.

The Paul A. Smith Scholarship Endowment for Domestic and International Business Travel was established from his estate in 2006 to benefit worthy and capable students enrolled in study abroad programs within The School of Hospitality Business. The scholarship is also available for expenditures related to internships, job placements or alumni and industry networking, particularly with industry leaders in New York City each fall and in Chicago each spring.

Paul was honored as The School's Alumnus of the Year in 2003 and Wall of Fame Class of Alumni Leaders in 2005.

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The Accident Fund's Steve Clark named in AIS endowed scholarship

      Steve Clark (BA Accounting '84), controller of the Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, has the reputation for getting things done without a lot of fanfare. Despite his low-key approach, business colleagues and friends credit him with much of the strength, success and reputation of the Michigan-based company.

Now those colleagues and friends have joined together to honor him with the establishment of the Steven D. Clark Accident Fund Insurance Company of America Scholarship in Accounting and Information Systems at the Broad School. Initial funding for the endowed scholarship program came from the Accident Fund, and opportunities to contribute additional funds are available to the company's employees and other industry and area organizations.

The scholarship is designated for students who are majors in the Broad School's Accounting and Information System program. Eligible students will be evaluated based on financial need, demonstrated leadership skill and capacity to achieve in the profession.

"There was no question that this endowment had to be made for the Broad School's program," says Ron Schoen, executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Accident Fund Insurance Company of America. "Steve is a dedicated alumnus and is well-known among his associates for his commitment to high ethical and professional standards in the accounting industry and for his personal interest in supporting students who are interested in a career in accounting and information systems."

Both Steve and his spouse, Ann Beaujean (BS '85 Multidisciplinary Social Science, Pre-Law, Political Science, Public Administration), have strong ties to MSU. The couple was married in the MSU Alumni Chapel in 1986. Both are lifetime members of the MSU Alumni Association and are avid MSU football and basketball fans. Ann is a four-year letter winner in track and cross country and has worked in the university's Office of the Vice President for Governmental Affairs as director of state relations.

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Hickey invests in entrepreneurial research and education at The School of Hospitality Business

      Characteristic of the entrepreneurial savvy that has helped him launch literally hundreds of restaurants, Phil Hickey (BA Hospitality Business '77) recognizes an investment that's likely to pay off.

With his 2006 endowment to support entrepreneurship programs in The School of Hospitality Business within the Broad School, Hickey is investing in teaching and research across the undergraduate and graduate programs that will produce entrepreneurial business owners, managing partners and franchisees in the hospitality industry.

As a veteran of more than 30 years in the industry, Hickey has experienced the restaurant business from many perspectives. He has been an entrepreneur, single restaurant owner-operator; has co-founded a restaurant company and taken it public; has grown a concept from six to fifty restaurants in six years, and has led RARE Hospitality since 1997. Currently chairman of the Board and CEO of RARE Hospitality, Hickey and his team have grown RARE Hospitality's market capitalization ten-fold to over a billion dollars.

"Every restaurant we open is an entrepreneurial enterprise," he says. "Like students at the Broad School, we focus on making choices that will provide us long-term economic vitality. From the sites we select, the buildings we construct, the leaders we attract, and the teams we train, our efforts all dovetail in our pursuit of excellence that is embraced in the culture of RARE Hospitality." The company's Longhorn Steakhouse and Capital Grille restaurants currently operate in over 30 states.

Hickey's community service and entrepreneurial energy are constantly at work in business, education and service organizations in Atlanta and beyond. He currently serves as chairperson of The Carter Center Board of Councilors, and he serves on a number of boards including the National Restaurant Association, and is a founding board member of the YMCA Community Action Project.

He received the MSU Alumni Service Award in 2005, and he is currently a member of The School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association's Executive Board of Directors. In 2004, he was inducted into The School's Alumni Association Wall of Fame.

In 2003, Hickey and his wife, Reedy, endowed a fund at MSU to support scholarships and professional development activities for restaurant students in the hospitality business programs.

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Myers' endowment thanks her parents for a lifetime of inspiration

      "My parents have been the greatest inspiration in my life simply by the way they lived, their work ethic, their integrity, their value system and their love and support for all of their children," says Lynn (Nelson) Myers (BA Marketing '64, MBA Marketing '67), describing the reasons why she chose to start an endowed scholarship in their name at the Broad School.

Her parents, Victor and Alta Nelson, raised a family of seven children. Originally, the family was from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where they farmed, and then they lived and worked in southeast Michigan for many years. In 1999, Myers' father, Victor, passed away. Today, Alta Nelson once again makes her home in the Upper Peninsula.

Established in 2006, the scholarship established in their names will provide assistance to Broad School students with financial need and will give preference to those who have participated in community service activities. Each year, the scholarship recipient will be determined during the spring semester with the award disbursed in the fall semester.

Myers is the retired general manager for General Motors Pontiac-GMC Division. She is a member of the Broad School's Capital Campaign Committee and a cochair of the $1.2 billion Campaign for MSU. She serves on the advisory board for MSU-CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) at the Broad School. She has been honored by the Broad School and Michigan State University for her leadership and service. She received the Broad School's Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award in 1989. Subsequently, she received the MSU Alumni Service Award in 1995, the MSU Distinguished Alumni Award in 1999 and the Dr. John A. Hannah Outstanding Alumni Award in 2003.

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Wolfs' scholarship will help reduce financial barriers for deserving Grand Rapids freshmen

      With their recent commitment to establish an endowed scholarship at Michigan State University, Karen B. (BA Economics '82) and Stephen P. Wolf (BA Social Science '81) have combined tributes to their alma mater, their community and to the generosity of past donors who made scholarship assistance available to them as students during their college years.

"Scholarships open many doors and expand the possibilities for those seeking a great education at Michigan State University," says Karen. "We are grateful to this day for the assistance we received and, by following the example of those who helped us, we can help to support the tuition needs of qualified and deserving high school graduates in Grand Rapids."

"We have benefited in countless ways from our (MSU) undergraduate degrees. We experienced and witnessed the importance of attending college as a means to effectively compete, achieve and contribute in our communities," says Steve. Those are the experiences and advantages Karen and Steve wanted to make available for another generation of MSU students.

The new Broad School Freshman Program with a residential option proved to be the right match for the Wolfs' goals. Introduced in the fall semester 2006, the residential academic and living learning program gives a select group of business freshmen a head start. And thanks to the Wolfs' scholarship endowment, financial assistance will be available for qualified freshmen who have graduated from Grand Rapids high schools.

The couple, who make their home in Grand Rapids, has strong personal and professional ties to the economic development interests of the West Michigan region and MSU. Steve was affiliated with Steelcase Inc. Human Resources for many years. After serving in HR leadership positions with firms in New York and New Jersey, he returned to Grand Rapids. He is currently the head of Human Resources at Aquinas College, Grand Rapids.

Karen followed up a successful executive career at Steelcase Inc. and Topdeq GmbH with key roles in West Michigan economic development, including The Right Place, Inc. and WIRED West Michigan. Karen is a member of the Eli Broad College of Business Alumni Association Board of Directors and also serves on the MSU Foundation Board of Directors.

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