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(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — On a recent trip to Asia, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business Dean V. Vance Roley received $250,000 in scholarship funds from Shidler (SHY-dler) College of business alumni living in Hong Kong and Japan. Roley travels annually to Japan, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Vietnam to attend student — and alumni-related events.

"We have seen an increasing number of graduates at our alumni events each year," said Roley. "We have a great group of alumni supporters in Hong Kong and Japan that are eager to help us develop scholarships, internships and career opportunities for our students."

Prospect Asset Management and its President Curtis Freeze (MBA ’87) donated $100,000 in scholarship funds to support students in the Japan-Focused MBA program. The 21-month Japan-Focused MBA program offers a comprehensive foundation in business fundamentals with an Asia-Pacific focus for students interested in doing business in Japan. The program provides a three-month internship, career development assistance and strong networking opportunities.

In 2005, Prospect Asset Management and Freeze gave $100,000 to the Shidler College of Business to enhance career services and internship placement for business students. Freeze also gave a personal gift of $15,000 for the renovation and furnishing of the Dean’s office in 2007.

Prospect Asset Management, Inc. is a Hawaiʻi-based investment advisory firm with a second office in Japan. Founded by Freeze in 1994, the firm specializes in Japanese investments and looks for companies with long-term capital growth.

Ignatius T.C. Chan, (BBA ’76, MBA ’79) donated another $50,000 toward the T.C. and Angeli Chan Endowed Scholarship Fund increasing the total to $100,000. Chan originally established the Scholarship Fund in 2004 with his initial gift of $50,000. The merit-based scholarship will be awarded to students from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao studying at the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business.

A well-known bank executive in Hong Kong, Chan was recently appointed chief executive of Bank of China Hong Kong (Holdings) Limited. Chan will oversee the Bank’s financial market business lines including treasury, global markets, cash management, custody, investment and insurance, and other capital market divisions. Previously, he was country officer of Citigroup for Hong Kong and head of its corporate and investment banking for Greater China. In 2004, Chan was inducted into the Shidler College of Business Alumni Hall of Honor.

The College received $100,000 from Richard T.C. Leung (BBA ’81) and his wife May [Wu] (BBA ’79) to established the May and Richard Leung Endowed Scholarship Fund. The initial gift of $100,000 was matched by Shidler’s Matching Gift Funds to total $200,000. The scholarship will provide international students from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan an opportunity to study business at UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business.

Leung worked in the financial sector as vice president of Citibank N.A., country head of DBS Bank Limited in China, Asia regional head of HSBC Bank USA, and currently as managing director of UBS AG, leading global manager of investment, assets and securities.

According to Leung, he and his wife have fond memories of their years at the College. "The University of Hawaiʻi was a major turning point in my life in helping me achieve my career and personal goals," said Leung. "College education is crucial to one’s development in both mind and soul, and I would like to assist others in the process with this scholarship."

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About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 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 ranked among the nation's top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report in 2008. 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.