Development News
Gift from MIBS Class of 1977 for William R. Folks, Jr. Fellowship
MIBS Class of '77 Gives Back
The MIBS Class of '77 has chosen to honor Dr. W. R. Folks, Jr., distinguished professor emeritus of international business, in a big way: they have created The William R. Folks, Jr. Fellowship in the amount of $250,000.
The fellowship(s) will be based on academic achievement and awarded to students enrolled in the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) program, with preference given to children of graduates of the Master of International Business Studies (MIBS) program.
"Dr [Randall] Folks always described our class as 'eclectic'," says Nancy Corrigan, a member, along with husband Kevin, of the 1977 MIBS graduating class. "Our class included... students from Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Romania, and Vietnam. Our undergraduate majors varied widely and included not only business administration, but the social sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer technology, and foreign languages." As only the second entering class of MIBS students, the '77 class was offered Portuguese and German language tracks, in addition to Spanish and French.
The group held a class reunion this year in April in Columbia, with 19 members of the graduating class of 57 in attendance. "It is very unusual for a post-graduate class to jel socially the way ours did," says Corrigan. "About 35 of us remain in touch to this day."
"Shigeru Sekine [CEO and president of Nikko Chemicals Co. Ltd.] actually initiated the idea of the class fellowship," she added. "He resides in Tokyo and over all these years has steadfastly promoted USC and MIBS/IMBA in Japan. We chose to name the fellowship in honor of Dr. Folks since he is one of the original architects of the MIBS/IMBA program (and continues to teach IMBA students today), and clearly established the academic rigor which propelled the program to such international recognition."
The Corrigans spent 15 years as a family living overseas in Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. (Kevin Corrigan previously worked for the Inter-Development Bank in Washington, D.C. He currently serves as senior vice president of Trust Company of the West, headquartered in Los Angeles.) They think so highly of the graduate international business program at Moore that they encouraged their daughter to attend. Now Christina, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, is a first-year IMBA student in 2007, and completing an internship with Sonoco in Brazil.
A matching gift from Darla Moore will allow the designation of a classroom in the Moore School's new facilities in honor of "MIBS Class of 1977."
The MIBS Class of '77 has chosen to honor Dr. W. R. Folks, Jr., distinguished professor emeritus of international business, in a big way: they have created The William R. Folks, Jr. Fellowship in the amount of $250,000.
The fellowship(s) will be based on academic achievement and awarded to students enrolled in the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) program, with preference given to children of graduates of the Master of International Business Studies (MIBS) program.
"Dr [Randall] Folks always described our class as 'eclectic'," says Nancy Corrigan, a member, along with husband Kevin, of the 1977 MIBS graduating class. "Our class included... students from Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Romania, and Vietnam. Our undergraduate majors varied widely and included not only business administration, but the social sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer technology, and foreign languages." As only the second entering class of MIBS students, the '77 class was offered Portuguese and German language tracks, in addition to Spanish and French.
The group held a class reunion this year in April in Columbia, with 19 members of the graduating class of 57 in attendance. "It is very unusual for a post-graduate class to jel socially the way ours did," says Corrigan. "About 35 of us remain in touch to this day."
"Shigeru Sekine [CEO and president of Nikko Chemicals Co. Ltd.] actually initiated the idea of the class fellowship," she added. "He resides in Tokyo and over all these years has steadfastly promoted USC and MIBS/IMBA in Japan. We chose to name the fellowship in honor of Dr. Folks since he is one of the original architects of the MIBS/IMBA program (and continues to teach IMBA students today), and clearly established the academic rigor which propelled the program to such international recognition."
The Corrigans spent 15 years as a family living overseas in Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. (Kevin Corrigan previously worked for the Inter-Development Bank in Washington, D.C. He currently serves as senior vice president of Trust Company of the West, headquartered in Los Angeles.) They think so highly of the graduate international business program at Moore that they encouraged their daughter to attend. Now Christina, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, is a first-year IMBA student in 2007, and completing an internship with Sonoco in Brazil.
A matching gift from Darla Moore will allow the designation of a classroom in the Moore School's new facilities in honor of "MIBS Class of 1977."
December 2007