We recently celebrated a milestone when the Pendleton Family School of Accountancy became the university’s first named school, thanks to the generosity of Dick Pendleton and his daughters Sheri Law, Sally Phillips and Tracy Myrick. We chatted with Dr. David Meinert, dean of the College of Business, and Dr. Kim Church, director of the Pendleton Family School of Accountancy, about this transformative gift.

Q&A

Academic Expressions: We’ve been talking with Brent Dunn [vice president for university advancement] about how major gifts like this one tend to develop over a long period of time.

David Meinert: Yes, it’s been at least six months since Brent [Dunn] reached out to me about this. At that point, he’d been speaking with the Pendleton family for a while. But, for Dick Pendleton, this really dates back to when he was a student here. The faculty had a huge impact on him, which is why he feels so connected to the school. And it demonstrates how our faculty’s investment in our students continues to resonate for decades.

Kim Church: That’s exactly right. His daughters are also alumni of our accounting program, and they have their own stories about a different generation of faculty who had an impact on them. And now, they’re excited about their third generation of accountants who have the chance to learn from a brand new generation of faculty. I keep thinking about our school’s longstanding commitment to strategically hiring the best faculty — and the way our faculty have made a difference for our students, over generations. It’s all reflected in this incredible gift.

DM: This is what we often hear from people who want to donate: They benefited from their time here, and they want to help the next generation.

How the Vision Came Together

AE: We’ve also been writing about how, in academic affairs, we can articulate ideas that inspire donors. Can you share a little about how the vision for the Pendleton Family School came together?

DM: The Pendleton family was very focused on students, faculty and programming. Dick [Pendleton] knew that great faculty had been key for him, so he was interested in professorships that will help us recruit and retain faculty. And when we talked about scholarships, he wanted to talk about how we might use scholarships so they’ll be the most effective.

AE: It sounds like you needed to be able to provide specifics — and be willing to “show your work” to him.

KC: Absolutely. Another part of the conversation was around career-ready curriculum. His daughters are currently working in the field, so they brought their own experience and expertise to that discussion. Sometimes, we assume people aren’t interested in the granular details of our teaching methods and learning outcomes. In this case, they were genuinely excited to learn about our curriculum, and it made them feel confident about investing in our program.

DM: And ultimately, the family made a larger gift than they’d originally intended because they saw the impact a larger gift could have, and it aligned with what they wanted to accomplish.

AE: So it was crucial that you were open and honest about what you truly needed.

DM: Yes, it helped them see what they could do. They believed in the goals, and they wanted to give to something they believed in.