Hoeft Gift Endows Technology & Management Program

“Sharing the proceeds of my success gives me great pleasure,” remarked Leonard Hoeft (BS, Business ’47). “In fact, people who have not discovered the joy of sharing and helping others have not yet lived life to the full.” In that spirit, Leonard C. and Mary Lou Hoeft have made a $6 million gift to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to permanently endow the Technology & Management Program (T&M) they originally helped establish.

“Seldom does one person, or one gift, impact not only current and prospective students, but also the future of the nation’s corporations through these students,” stated U of I Foundation President Sidney Micek. “This is the first gift to fully endow a program at the University, and it guarantees that the Hoeft Technology & Management Program will continue to serve this vital role.”

According to Avijit Ghosh, dean of the College of Business, “The T&M Program has established itself as a model for interdisciplinary education on this campus. With more than 250 graduates now building careers in over 50 different companies, we are beginning to hear from those graduates and their managers that the advantages they derived from the T&M experience are translating into outstanding performances in the workplace.”

“I can honestly say that the reason that I have the job I’m doing today is because of the T&M program,” said Maddie Palicharla (BS, Management Information Systems ‘02). “The capstone project, where we do actual work for a corporate sponsor, is like doing consulting work. I had a really good experience on my capstone project with Kimberly-Clark. While applying for internships the following summer, I used that experience and got an internship with Deloitte Consulting, where I still work today.”

Amy Leisher (BS, Finance ’03) is a marketing manager for Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions. “The T&M program definitely had a big impact on my last two years,” she explained. “I felt like I was a part of a special group of students, and that we had a well-defined place in the University. Now that I have a job, I understand the value of the program and appreciate the Hoeft’s generosity that much more.”

“The Technology & Management Program is primed to embark on an exciting new period,” stated David Daniel, dean of the College of Engineering. “As the Program approaches its 10-year anniversary with a new director, exceptional students and faculty, strong industry involvement through the Corporate Affiliates Program—and with the generous endowment gift from the Hoefts—we have the elements necessary to reach new heights.”

In 1995, the Hoefts made a $1 million gift that helped implement the T&M Program, which welcomed its first class of 28 students in fall of that year. Since that time, subsequent gifts from the Hoefts have established endowed chairs and endowed professorships at the College of Business and College of Engineering. After serving in WWII, Leonard Hoeft graduated from Illinois and began his career with Caterpillar Tractor Co. in Peoria. He moved through the ranks at Caterpillar, later joining Ziegler Inc. in Minneapolis. Ziegler Inc., also known as Ziegler Cat, is the upper Midwest’s largest dealer of Caterpillar and other construction equipment. When Leonard joined the company in 1954, there were about 100 employees with four stores in Minnesota. Today, Ziegler Inc. has over 1,200 employees and 17 locations. He served a variety of roles with the company, including president, CEO, and chairman.

http://ziegler.cat.com/