Tag: scholarship

On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember two veterans separated by generations and wars who were united by a generous scholarship at Olin Business School. It’s a moving story about the meeting between Army Major Rodney Lynch, MBA’15, and Col. John H. Von Der Bruegge, a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

From left to right: Karen Von Der Bruegge, Rodney Linch, and Col. Von Der Bruegge.

Thank you to Karen Von Der Bruegge, MBA ’77, for making this scholarship possible and to her father for sharing his story of service with us.

Read the complete story in Olin Business magazine. “A Tale of Two Soldiers” by Kurt Greenbaum.

Photos by Leland A. Outz. Videography by Tucker Pierce, BFA’15, Ross Arkin and Ricardo Solis, BSBA’17

It’s a cornerstone of the American dream: starting a business, growing it, then passing it down to new generations.  Now, Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis will have a new tool to help family business leaders learn how best to build and preserve their legacies into the future.

Mahendra R. Gupta, dean and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management at Olin, announced a four-year, $1.09-million gift from Roger and Fran Koch and Paul and Elke Koch that will launch the Olin Family Business Program. The program will position Olin as a leader in the field as it helps prepare its students to enter and lead their family businesses. Gupta’s announcement came during a half-day Family Business Symposium held April 22 at Olin.

“Olin Business School has long been a leader in preparing our students to enter and lead their businesses,” Gupta said. “This generous gift from the Koch Family will allow us to build on the resources and courses Olin already has in place to further strengthen the skill set of these students, and also address specific needs of family businesses. We are indebted to the Kochs — Roger and Fran, and Paul and Elke — for funding this very important initiative.”

In addition to attracting the next generation of family business leaders and connecting them to programs and resources needed to succeed, the Olin Family Business Program will also include an internship program for students seeking careers with family businesses, and Family Business Practicums, in collaboration with Olin’s Center for Experiential Learning.

These projects will pair faculty-led student teams with family businesses who seek effective solutions for the unique challenges they face. At the end of the practicum, the teams will deliver a report to the client company outlining their recommendations.

With their gift, the Kochs are also establishing the Koch Family Business Scholarship Fund, which will offer financial support to attract candidates with connections to family business to Olin’s full-time MBA program.

About the Kochs

Paul A. Koch (BSBA ’61, JD ’64 and MBA ’68) and Roger L. Koch (BSBA ’64 and MBA ’66) are co-chairman of the board at Koch Development Co. They are third generation family business owners in the real estate investment and development business. Both Roger and Paul have been recognized as Distinguished Alumni of the Olin Business School, and have been advisers to, and generous benefactors of, the university for many years.

The program will launch in Fall 2016.

Image: (From left:) Mahendra Gupta; Christopher Hoffmann, MBA ’16, vice president of Olin Family Business Club; Roger Koch; Elke Koch; Paul Koch; Emmy Caton, MBA ’17, incoming club president; and Ryan Plotkin, MBA ’16, president. Not pictured: Fran Koch. (Photo: Whitney Curtis/Washington University)

News release originally published on WashU’s The Source, by Erika Ebsworth-Goold

“Getting to finally sit down for coffee this week with my Scholars in Business Scholarship Sponsor, Dan Manoogian, BSBA’82, was truly a highlight of my semester thus far,” said Lexie Sprague, BSBA, Class of 2017. “It was so fun to be able to share with him everything that I’m doing at Olin and on the soccer field.” (more…)

Maria Ahern, an Olin junior studying Marketing and Communication Design, is one of approximately 800 American undergraduate students from 355 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

(more…)

Please join the Washington University Olin Women in Business (OWIB)

for our Annual Fundraising Auction

Friday, February 5, 2016

Six to Ten o’clock in the evening

Knight Hall & Bauer Hall

Dress: cocktail attire; formal attire optional

Student tickets available on Campus Groups, $15 discount until Feb. 3

Non-student reservations, click here; $25 at the door (cash & credit accepted)

This year, all proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Olin Women in Business Scholarship for an incoming MBA student.*

OWIB supports women in business by offering career, recruiting, educational, and networking opportunities for women MBAs. 2015 has been a huge year for the Olin Women in Business – we achieved the highest enrollment of female MBAs in Olin’s history. 40% of the first year full-time MBA class is women, up from 28% last year.

The auction presents an opportunity to connect with alumni, faculty, St. Louis business leaders, and MBA students while enjoying the thrilling auction atmosphere.

Guests will enjoy:

• Open bar (beer and wine) along with a delicious assortment of appetizers including a Gourmet Grilled Cheese Bar and Mediterranean Dip Station
• Silent Auction, 6-7:45 p.m.
• Live Auction, 8-9 p.m.
• Photo souvenirs in front of a special backdrop
• 50/50 Raffle: CASH ONLY, $5 per ticket or 5 tickets for $20; half of proceeds go to OWIB scholarship – half to winning ticket

Here’s a preview of a few of the top items on the OWIB Auction block:

Bid on one-of-a-kind experiences!

• Dinner & Blackjack for 4 with Todd Milbourn
• Lunch with Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak
• Lunch & Sporting Clay Shooting for 4 with Cliff Holekamp
• A Blues Hockey Game in the Club section for 4 with the Elfenbeins

Feeling thirsty? You and your friends can bid on the following:

• Beer tastings at Schlafly’s and Earthbound Beer Company
• 4 Hands, Anheuser-Busch, and Urban Chestnut Beer Baskets
• Wine Lovers Baskets
• Wine Class Series for two at Garland Wines

Want some Stylish Accessories? Treat yourself by bidding on these:

• Gold iPad Mini 4 (64GB)
• Louis Vuitton Purse & Wallet
• Kate spade items including a clutch, travel mug, stationary, and notebooks
• Hand-crafted jewelry and statement necklaces

*To make a gift to the Scholarship fund, please click here. Select Olin Business School Scholarships and in the ‘Special Instructions/Comments’ box, please write OWIB Scholarship.

Guest Blogger: Nicole Hoffman, MBA’16, OWIB officer