Eight Major Gifts to Benefit Urbana‑Champaign Campus of University of Illinois

Eight private gifts totaling more than $11 million earmarked for the University of Illinois at Urbana‑Champaign were announced during the 79th Annual U of I Foundation Meeting and Weekend.

The gift announcements were part of the three‑day, weekend event held on the Urbana‑Champaign campus. More than 800 alumni and friends of the University attended.

The eight gifts highlighted at the Chancellor’s Dinner Friday evening included:

• a $3 million bequest along with annual outright gifts of $120,000 from Tony Petullo of Milwaukee, Wis., in support of Anthony J. Petullo Leaders in Business Scholarships. This academic year, the College of Business has awarded 25 Petullo Scholarships to a diverse group of high-ability students from across the state of Illinois. A 1961 marketing graduate of Illinois, Petullo established and operated the Milwaukee office of Olsten Staffing Services. The president of the Tony Petullo Foundation, his previous support, totaling more than $2 million, helped establish the core of programs at the Illinois Leadership Center to help students develop effective leadership skills; a professorship and two fellowships in the School of Art and Design and in the College of Media; and support of the Krannert Art Museum. 
• $2 million from Jerrold L. “Jerry” Fiddler and his wife, Melissa Alden, of Berkeley, Calif., in support of student and faculty interdisciplinary research initiatives through the Illinois Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media (eDream) Institute at the transdisciplinary National Center for Supercomputing Applications. eDream/NCSA is affiliated with several campus organizations, and connects science, art, the humanities, and engineering to advance education, research, and creative expression. The Fiddler/Alden gift also provides annual undergraduate and graduate fellowships. Jerry Fiddler earned two degrees at Illinois—a bachelor’s in individual plans of study in 1974 and a master’s in computer science in 1977. He is principal of Zygote Ventures, a privately held seed/angel venture capital fund that invests early in innovative technology enterprises, and is chairman of Solazyme. Alden, an Ohio Wesleyan University graduate, is a teacher in Berkeley. 
• $2 million from the Jerome Mirza Foundation to the College of Law. This gift will support the Jerome Mirza Trial Academy, a Chicago-based program that will provide training to upper-level law students and practitioners in advanced advocacy techniques, including e-discovery, cross-examination, and effective use of trial exhibits. The gift will also fund the Jerome Mirza Chicago Practicum, with experienced adjunct faculty designing and teaching new Chicago-based courses, and the Jerome Mirza Fellows Program, which will help recent College of Law graduates to gain real world experience by serving in county public defenders offices. A 1963 U of I College of Law graduate, the late Mr. Mirza served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and was well known for his dedication to trial advocacy. 
• a $1.5 million pledge from Sarah Pascoe Valpredo of Corona Del Mar, Calif., in memory of her husband, William T. Pascoe III, for scholarships in engineering. The William T. Pascoe III Memorial Engineering Scholarship honors the 1940 Illinois engineering graduate, entrepreneur and real estate developer. A World War II veteran, Mr. Pascoe founded Pascoe Metal Buildings, which became the fourth largest metal-building business in the nation. He also built and owned industrial parks, condo developments, and bred and trained thoroughbred racehorses. Pascoe Scholarships will be awarded to freshmen in the College of Engineering and are renewable. 
• a bequest of $1 million, along with $20,000 outright annually, from Edward Koval of Phoenix, Ariz., and his family to establish the Anna Mae Koval Scholarship in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. The gift, the largest single bequest to GSLIS, was made in memory of Mrs. Koval, a librarian and world traveler who instilled a love of reading in her children, grandchildren and young adults. The need-based Anna Mae Koval Scholarship will benefit GSLIS students who have a research interest in youth services and literature, and whose learning experiences involve the research collection of the School’s Center for Children’s Books. Edward Koval, who was a vice president of A. E. Staley Manufacturing Co., earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering and an MBA at Illinois, and his sons Paul and David, as well as daughter-in-law Jenni, hold degrees from the U of I. 
• $1 million outright from Thomas and Julie Scott of Chicago for scholarships in the College of Business. The need-based Thomas M. and Julie E. Scott Foundation Centennial Scholarship will support high-achieving students pursuing their interests in accountancy, finance or entrepreneurship. Tom Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy at the U of I in 1983. He founded and serves as CEO of CA Ventures, a multidimensional real estate firm in Chicago. Julie Scott is a 1985 Illinois accountancy graduate and is founder, president and CEO of CTS Holdings, Inc., a hands-on business advisory firm. The Scotts have supported the College of Business since 1989 and have also contributed more than $700,000 to the U of I Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. 
• a significant increase in support from Rick and Maisie Heiken of Scottsdale, Ariz., for scholarships in the College of Business. The Edward F. and Maisie L. Heiken Scholarship provides full tuition and fees to support entering seniors in the College from the state of Illinois who are majoring in marketing or finance and who have contributed substantially toward their own college expenses. The Heikens have funded 15 scholarships totaling $155,000 since 1999 and their recent increase in support has substantially elevated their total commitment to the College of Business. Rick Heiken, a 1972 economics graduate of Illinois, had a long and successful business career with Caterpillar. Maisie Heiken, a 1989 U of I finance graduate, is a senior vice president with Merrill Lynch and a member of the U of I Foundation Board of Directors. 
• a gift of more than $250,000 from Stanley and Judith Ikenberry of Boca Grande, Fla., to establish the Ikenberry Commons and the Arts Program, a joint venture designed to engage and connect Illinois undergraduates living in the Ikenberry Commons residence halls with the performing arts through Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Stan Ikenberry served as the 14th president of the University of Illinois for 16 years, from 1979 through 1995. He also was interim president in 2010 and is currently U of I Regent Professor and President Emeritus. Judy Ikenberry, an arts advocate and watercolor painter, has long served the University as an ambassador. Longtime and generous donors, the Ikenberrys have contributed approximately $600,000 to the University supporting the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the Housing Division, and Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, all on the Urbana-Champaign campus.