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ALUMNA SUSAN YAMADA SCOTT ESTABLISHES $50,000 ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP AT SHIDLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS IN HONOR OF HER PARENTS

(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Eiro and Alice Yamada Endowed Scholarship at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. The initial $25,000 gift from The Yamada Scott Family Foundation will be matched with funds from Shidler’s Matching Gift Funds, increasing the total value to $50,000. The scholarship will be available to students majoring in any area of business and those who wish to pursue entrepreneurial studies at the Shidler College of Business.

According to Susan Yamada Scott, president of the foundation, the endowed scholarship is the perfect way to pay tribute to her parents Alice and Eiro Yamada, who made education their life’s passion. Alice Yamada grew up on a Maui plantation. The sixth child of immigrant parents, Mrs. Yamada dreamed of becoming a teacher. With the help of a State Senator from Iowa, she received a full scholarship to attend Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. Upon her return to Hawaiʻi, Mrs. Yamada fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher and taught for more than 30 years in the public school system.

Unfortunately, Eiro Yamada’s aspiration for a college degree was suddenly interrupted with the onset of World War II. Like many in his generation, he entered the Army and served with the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After the war, family circumstances prevented him from continuing his studies. Instead, Mr. Yamada opened his own business and became a successful businessman.

Susan and her two brothers Russell and Ron Yamada attribute their success to their parents’ hard work and emphasis on education. Susan spent 17 years working in senior management positions at various entrepreneurial start-up companies in California and Hawaiʻi, including CEO and publisher of Upside Magazine, TRUSTe, VEO Systems and Get2Hawaii. She received a BBA in Travel Industry Management in 1982 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and her MBA from San Jose State University in California. Ron received a BS from the University of Southern California in 1983 and JD from Southwestern University School of Law in 1999. Both Susan and Ron graduated from Castle High School. Russell received a BS in 1979 and MS in 1981 from the UH College of Engineering. He is a graduate of Damien High School.

Since 2000, The Yamada Scott Family Foundation has awarded $250,000 to students and community organizations. Russell and Ron actively donate to their family foundation and support educational opportunities for Hawaiʻi students.

"We are extremely grateful to Susan. She has been one of our strongest supporters in recent years, with her past gifts and her participation in the UH Business Plan Competition and Hawaiʻi State High School Business Plan Competition," said Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. "We are especially pleased that Susan has joined us as Interim Executive Director of Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship & E-Business. Susan&rsquop;s generous support and vast experience with start-ups will be a tremendous help to the College as we move forward."

"The Yamada Scott Family Foundation’s gift to establish the Eiro and Alice Yamada Endowed Scholarship at the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business is a great tribute to her parents’ family values centered on education and hard work," said UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. "Like their mother, future generations of exceptional promise will have the opportunity to attend college and realize their dreams."

About the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is ranked among the nation’s top 25 graduate schools for international business by U.S.News & World Report in 2008. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the College is a professional school, offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The College places a strong emphasis on the development of management skills, entrepreneurship and the management of business information technology. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawaiʻi accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all ten UH campuses. For more information, visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu.

The Centennial Campaign is an historic private fundraising initiative to raise $250 million to support the University of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to our students, our community and our world. For more information about the Centennial Campaign, please visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu.