Jay H. Shidler donates $5 million to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa business school

Jay H. Shidler has donated an additional $5 million in cash to his alma mater, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

He is an alumnus of the universityʻs College of Business, which was named after him following his first donation to the school, of $25 million in 2006.

This latest gift also is in addition to Shidler’s $117 million donation made in 2017 and $69 million in 2014. All of his donations were made in cash or real estate ground leases.

Shidler also has committed $1.55 million towards research support and providing matching funds for faculty endowments.

He has given approximately $238 million to the school in cash, land leases and in-kind donations. This represents both the largest individual donation in the university’s 110-year history and the second-largest known gift to any U.S. business school at a public university.

This latest donation will amplify the impact and reach of Shidler’s earlier gifts, further allowing the college to maintain and expand key strategic initiatives.

The donation will support faculty research and student scholarships, provide matching funds for strategic investments in programs and existing endowments, and provide funding for visiting faculty and outreach activities.

Since the time of his initial gift, the Shidler College of Business has consistently been recognized for its international undergraduate business program, placing 13th in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022–2023 rankings.

Shidler College of Business is also ranked 128th out of 516 among the best undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The college has grown its endowments from six to 43, awarded more than $1 million annually in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students, placed nearly 500 students in internships annually, and placed 80% of students in their desired industry within three months of graduating.

Vance Roley, dean of Shidler College and First Hawaiian Bank Chair of Leadership and Management, praised Shidler for his commitment to supporting higher education in Hawaiʻi.