FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Major Alumni Gift Endows Illinois’ Technology & Management Program

URBANA, Ill. (February 3, 2005) – Richard Herman, interim chancellor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, announced that the university has received a $6 million gift from Leonard and Mary Lou Hoeft of Minneapolis, Minn. to permanently endow its Technology & Management Program.

“Sharing the proceeds of my success gives me great pleasure,” said Leonard Hoeft, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from Illinois in 1947. “In fact, people who have not discovered the joy of sharing and helping others, especially students, have not yet lived life to the fullest.”

“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 generous gift fully endows the 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.”

Amy Leisher, a 2003 finance graduate and a marketing manager for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions in Champaign agreed, stating, “The T&M Program definitely had a big impact on my last two years. 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 establish the T&M Program, which welcomed its first class of 28 students in the 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.

Born in Carpentersville, Ill., Leonard Hoeft spent his freshman year of high school at Dundee, later moving to Sycamore High School, where he met Mary Lou. After initially enrolling at Northern Illinois University, Leonard transferred to the University of Illinois in 1941. He served in the Army from 1943 to 1945, first enrolling in the Army Specialized Training Program at William and Mary, where he took accelerated courses in engineering before going to Europe with the 95th Infantry Division.
After serving in World War II, 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. The Hoefts have four children, all living in Minnesota. Their son, Bill, now runs the company as president and CEO.

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For further information, contact:
John Clarke, Executive Director
Hoeft Technology & Management Program
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Phone: 217/244-0838
Email: jfc@uiuc.edu