(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — Current and former Ernst & Young Partners Terri Fujii and Lawrence Rodriguez have jointly established a $300,000 endowed scholarship at the UH Manoā Shidler College of Business. The initial gift of $150,000 was matched by Jay Shidler matching funds to total $300,000. The Fujii and Rodriguez Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide annual scholarships for students majoring in accounting at the School of Accountancy.
Rodriguez, a retired partner of Ernst & Young LLP in Honolulu said, "Terri and I decided to personally establish a scholarship endowment that will ensure continuous educational opportunities for future accounting students at the Shidler College of Business. It is important for Hawaii's accounting industry to develop a sustainable and quality workforce."
"I believe Larry will agree with me that we are privileged to be able to provide this endowment of opportunity for future generations of accounting students," said Fujii, current partner of Ernst & Young LLP. "As a graduate of the School of Accountancy, I received an excellent education which was pivotal to my success in business. This is my way of providing similar opportunities for future students."
"We are deeply grateful to Terri Fujii and Larry Rodriguez for their generosity and commitment to our young men and women," said V. Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. "This is a great example of how private support can help transform the lives of our students, while inspiring other business leaders to give."
"Terri and Larry are remarkable business leaders in our community," said UH Manoā Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. "With this endowment, they have shown a high standard of philanthropic leadership that we feel will inspire other community and business leaders."
Rodriguez served as the managing partner of the Ernst & Young Honolulu Office before retiring in 2007. His 40-year career was spent serving companies in the financial services, healthcare, airlines, retail, hospitality, real estate and insurance industries. Rodriguez recently received the Pacific Business News "Leadership Legacy Award" for his services and contributions to local charities and community groups.
Fujii is the managing partner in the Hawaii practice of Ernst & Young LLP. She received both her bachelors and masters degrees in accounting from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoā Shidler College of Business, and is a Certified Public Accountant. In 1986, Fujii joined Ernst & Young LLP and has worked with companies in the healthcare, not-for-profit, airlines, retail and insurance industries.
Fujii serves on the Advisory Council for the Shidler College of Business and is a board member for the Shidler School of Accountancy. In October, she received the coveted Shidler College of Business Hall of Honor Award for her contribution to the College and community.
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About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoā. Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. 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 UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawaiʻi accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
