Executive MBA alumni give $286,500 for scholarships

Supporters Reginald Worthley and Eve Shere; and Claire Durham establish scholarships

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Margot Schrire, (808) 956-6774
UH Foundation
Dolly Omiya
Shidler College of Business
Posted: Oct 26, 2011


The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa received gifts totaling $286,500 from supporters Reginald Worthley and his wife Eve Shere, and Claire Durham. Shere and Durham are both graduates of the UH Mānoa Executive MBA program and Worthley is a professor at the Shidler College of Business. The gifts were announced at the Executive MBA (EMBA) reunion reception at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in August.

Reginald Worthley and Eve Shere Endowed Scholarship for Excellence

Worthley and Shere established the Reginald Worthley and Eve Shere Endowed Scholarship for Excellence with a Life Estate Reserved gift estimated at $236,500.  A Life Estate Reserved gift is a giving vehicle whereby a donor irrevocably promises to contribute their home (or a percentage of it) to the UH Foundation upon their death and, in return, receives substantial income tax deductions now.

The couple gave the scholarship to assist deserving students enrolled at the Shidler College of Business. Their wish is to help students live and learn continuously throughout their lives so they can strive to become the best they can be. 

Worthley grew up in Maine and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine and received a Ph.D. from Kansas State University. He has been with the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business since 1969. Throughout the years, Worthley has received many teaching and research awards and is a favorite among both undergraduate and graduate students.  

Married to Worthley for over 25 years, Shere attributes her success in school, work and life to her Jewish faith, which believes that each life should be measured by “tikkun olam,” repairing the world through charity and service. Shere has enjoyed a successful career in real estate for over 40 years. She graduated from the University of Colorado and the Swedish State Art Institute, and received her Executive MBA from the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business in 1983.

Claire Durham Scholarship for International Excellence

Durham established the Claire Durham Scholarship for International Excellence with a Charitable Gift Annuity of $50,000. A Charitable Gift Annuity is a unique and powerful planning tool whereby a donor irrevocably contributes assets to the UH Foundation and, in return, receives lifetime income, a generous income tax deduction, and capital gains tax avoidance. 

 The scholarship recipients must be a full-time or part-time, undergraduate or graduate student at the Shidler College of Business. In addition to costs associated with tuition, books and other school fees, the scholarship can fund expenses for international exchange or study abroad programs. Durham also gave $50,000 to support the Paliku Theatre Endowment at Windward Community College. 

Durham was born and raised in New York. She moved to Hawai‘i in 1966 and pursued her career in the information technology field, working for Computing Management, C. Brewer and eventually at Bank of Hawaiʻi before retiring in 2000. Durham graduated from the UH Mānoa Executive MBA program in 1983.

Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business said, “We are enormously grateful to the graduates of the Executive MBA program for their continuous support of the College. EMBA alumni are one of our greatest resources and support us in so many ways. In addition to funding scholarships and professorships, they help us grow our programs, bring global business professionals to the College, and provide internships and career opportunities for our students.”

To find out how you can support the Shidler College of Business, please contact Unyong Nakata at Unyong.nakata@uhfoundation.org or (808) 956-3597.

You can also make a gift securely online at www.uhfoundation.org/GiveToShidler

Photo caption: (left to right) Lani Starkey, Chancellor Dykstra, Unyong Nakata, Claire Durham, Donna Vuchinich, Vance Roley, KC Collins

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The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i 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 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 UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawai‘i accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees.  Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas.  For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu/ and http://manoa.hawaii.edu/media/.  Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter http://twitter.com/UHManoaNews.

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. Our mission is to unite our donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawai‘i and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org

About Executive MBA (EMBA) Program

Since 1977, the Shidler College of Business EMBA Program has been preparing managers of exceptional promise to lead the next generation of business professionals. The rigorous and challenging 22 months program is designed to sharpen business tools, refine skills, and put global challenges in perspective. Over 450 professionals have graduate from the EMBA. Visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu/emba.