June 13, 2003
Major gift by Milgard family names business school at UW Tacoma
TACOMA, Wash.–The University of Washington, Tacoma has announced a gift of $15 million from the Milgard family of Tacoma, founders of Milgard Manufacturing, to fund expansion of its Business Administration program, which now offers both baccalaureate and master’s degrees.
In recognition of the gift, the campus will name its Business Administration program the Milgard School of Business, adding a Center for Corporate Leadership and Social Responsibility and a Center for Information-Based Management, as well as a $3 million endowed scholarship program. The gift from Gary E. Milgard, the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation and James A. Milgard will enable the school to add more faculty and provide the resources necessary to take the business program to an even higher level of stature and accomplishment.
“This very generous gift will take the UW Tacoma’s Business Administration program, already one of our strongest academic endeavors, to the next level of excellence,” said Vicky Carwein, chancellor of the University of Washington, Tacoma. “I expect that the Milgard School of Business will quickly become one of the Northwest’s strongest schools of business,” she added. “We are honored to name the school the Milgard School of Business in recognition of this gift and in honor of a family of distinguished business leaders, entrepreneurs and community supporters.”
Naming the Milgard School of Business requires approval of the UW Board of Regents. The full board is is scheduled to vote on the item during its meeting this afternoon.
Milgard Manufacturing, operated by Gary and Jim Milgard, grew from a small, two-person shop in 1958 to become the largest producer of quality residential windows in the western United States. Today it employs more than 4,000 people and operates plants in several states. The family recently sold the business, but Gary and Jim Milgard continue as president and executive vice president, respectively.
The UW Tacoma Business Administration program was established in 1993 when it admitted 40 students. It now serves nearly 400 undergraduate students and more than 50 graduate students. The program offers eight areas of concentration, from accounting to international business.
“We are very pleased to help a high-quality business program expand its faculty, which in turn will offer additional academic opportunities and provide more scholarship support to students,” Gary said. “As founders of Milgard Windows, we have always strived to maintain the highest standards of integrity, respect, creativity and corporate and community responsibility, and to instill those qualities in our employees. We are, therefore, particularly pleased that the Milgard School of Business is establishing a center for corporate leadership and social responsibility, along with a center for information-based management. We can think of no better way to contribute to the Greater Tacoma region than to fund these centers and the School of Business,” he said.
Jim Milgard agrees.
“We grew up in Tacoma, and our business has enjoyed great success here,” Jim says. “This gift, because it is an endowment, will allow us to contribute in perpetuity to the economic vitality of our community and to the lives of future graduates. It will help many local businesses, which will benefit from the talent, skill and knowledge UWT’s business graduates will have to offer. It is very gratifying to know that our investment in the University of Washington, Tacoma will help entrepreneurs, mid-sized companies and corporations throughout the area flourish.”
Dr. Patricia Fandt, director of the UW Tacoma Business Administration program, believes the partnership between the Milgard family and the business program is a natural.
“Both were founded in Tacoma and are committed to serving the Puget Sound. Both value innovative and socially responsible business practices. It will be an honor to have the Milgard name on the Business School,” Fandt said.
At $15 million, the gift is by far the largest ever made to the University of Washington, Tacoma, whose largest donation until now was a $1 million anonymous contribution in 2001 for the Institute of Technology. It is among the top five gifts from private individuals ever made to any UW campus.
“This gift is a major milestone,” said interim UW president Lee Huntsman. “These generous donors recognize that the University of Washington, Tacoma has become a powerful educational force, one with all the quality and commitment to excellence characteristic of the University of Washington, but also with a distinctive commitment to its South Puget Sound community.”
The Milgard gift will have both immediate and long-term benefits.
“As the impact of this gift grows over time,” Carwein said, “it will help others see the importance of public-private partnerships in supporting higher education. It will increase the visibility of UWT both locally and nationally. An enhanced business school will help fuel the region’s economy and give people greater access to educational programs that transform the lives of individuals and through them their communities. The Milgards are creating a legacy that will grow through generations to come.”
