The Gift

On September 6, 2006, the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents voted to accept a $25 million donation from Jay H. Shidler and name the University of Hawai'i College of Business Administration after him.  The new name is now the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

The gift is the largest single donation to University of Hawai‘i from a private donor. Shidler, an alumnus of the College (BBA ‘68), is a longtime commercial real estate investor and entrepreneur who resides in Honolulu.

"I love Hawai'i and want our community, its residents and businesses to have access to a top-ranked business school within our state."
- Jay Shidler

“We are grateful to Jay Shidler for his extraordinary investment in our vision to propel our business program into the top rank of the nation’s business schools,” said Vance Roley, dean of the newly named Shidler College of Business. “Jay embodies the values we strive to instill in our outstanding new business people – entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, discerning business judgment, integrity and a sense of community.”

According to Roley, the gift will support:

• Growing student aid with more scholarships.
• Additional endowed faculty positions to attract nationally recognized instructors, lecturers and researchers.
• Increased faculty support including summer research support and visiting faculty.
• Permanent endowment that will provide ongoing resources to meet the college’s needs, including annual allocations for endowed professorships, fellowships and research seminar series.
• Additional funds for a matching gift program to endow new professorships, fellowships and scholarships.
• Program and academic support including a daytime MBA program to complement the College’s existing evening program.
• Renovation and upgrade of the College of Business building, classrooms and surrounding environment.

“I’m genuinely honored and humbled to have my name associated with the University of Hawaii’s business program,” Shidler said. “It’s my school. It helped prepare me for a career in business and launch The Shidler Group decades ago. But never did I imagine being in a position to contribute to University of Hawai‘i like this. I share Dean Roley’s vision for taking the business school to new heights and am grateful to be able to support his vision.

“I love Hawai‘i and want our community, its residents and businesses to have access to a top-ranked business school within our state. I believe Hawai‘i is not only a special place in which to do business but also a viable place from which to conduct geographically diverse businesses. Having a strong business school will enhance our state’s ability to play a larger role in national and international commerce.”