EMPOWERING ECCLES STUDENTS
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
I want to personally thank you for your generous support of scholarships at the David Eccles School of Business. Scholarships are an integral part of helping us achieve our mission to offer a high-quality public university education to as many students as possible, regardless of their background or circumstances.
I know first-hand the transformational power of the experience we are offering here at the Eccles School. I grew up on a family farm in Iowa and attended public universities as a first-generation student. Public universities provided opportunities that launched me into a rewarding career that I could not have imagined or achieved otherwise. This is the same opportunity you are helping to provide students at the Eccles School through your scholarship support, and we are very grateful.
In the pages that follow, you’ll hear directly from some of these students about the impact their scholarship has had. Many of these students express not only their gratitude for receiving a scholarship, but also their hope to pay it forward one day by donating to scholarships of their own. You are affecting generational change by helping these students unlock the life-changing power of higher education. You are also setting an example of philanthropy and giving back that will last for generations to come.
In the short time I have been at the U, it has become clear to me what a special place this is. The passion and pride I have felt at the university and the Eccles School has been inspiring. Thank you for being such an important part of what makes the Eccles School a great place to be.
Kurt Dirks
2024-25 SCHOLARSHIPS BY THE NUMBERS
$10,549,662
TOTAL AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS AWARDED
463
TOTAL NUMBER OF SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
1,627
TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING SCHOLARSHIPS FROM THE ECCLES SCHOOL
Scan here to explore the full list of scholarships and meet the incredible students your generosity supports!
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS BY GRADUATE PROGRAM
1. Master of Accounting: 83
2. Master of Business Administration: 79
3. Master of Science in Finance: 78
4. Master of Science in Business Analytics: 68
5. Master of Science in Information Systems: 67
6. Master of Healthcare Administration: 62
7. Master of Business Creation: 62
8. Professional Master of Business Administration: 47
9. Executive Master of Business Administration: 33
10. Master of Real Estate Development: 30
11. Online Master of Business Administration: 25
12. Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management: 23
13. Non-Business: 1
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS BY UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
1. Pre-Business: 163
2. Intermediate Business: 158
3. Finance: 144
4. Accounting: 99
5. Non-Business: 89
6. Quantitative Analysis of Markets & Organizations: 74
7. Marketing: 60
8. Operations & Supply Chain: 58
9. Information Systems: 52
10. Business Administration: 31
11. Management: 21
12. Entrepreneurship: 21
STUDENT IMPACT STORIES
Scholarships allow students from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances to access the life-changing power of higher education. In many cases, these students would not be able to attend college at all without this generous financial support and, in every case, scholarships allow these deserving and highachieving students to focus on a holistic academic experience without financial pressure and worries. We are pleased to share some of their stories.
MATIAS ARMESTO YEAR Senior HOMETOWN Barranquilla, Colombia
MAJOR Information Systems
Matias Armesto had an untraditional path to higher education. After moving from his native Colombia to Sugarland, Texas when he was 10 years old, Matias was raised by a single mom and joined the Air Force after high school. After four years stationed in Alaska, he finished his six-year enlistment contract at Hill Air Force Base and loved the scenery and educational opportunities in Utah so much, he decided to stay. After starting off at the College of Engineering at the University of Utah, a generous scholarship prompted Matias to transfer to the David Eccles School of Business.
“After setting foot at the Eccles School, I knew that was where I was meant to be,” Matias says.
“This scholarship will enable me to reach my higher education goals and be the first in my family to do so. Finishing a degree from such a prestigious university, with a degree I’m passionate about, is something I’ve aspired to for my entire life.”
During his time at Eccles, Matias developed a passion for cyber security, a natural fit with his defense sector experience, and he looks forward to pursuing a career in that field after graduation.
“I’m deeply grateful for your contributions and hope to share this kindness with the community one day,” Matias says. “In addition to financial assistance, this scholarship serves as a tremendous source of motivation for me. Knowing that there are generous individuals and organizations like yours who believe in my potential is incredibly inspiring. Thank you for changing my life and helping me achieve what I only dreamed of when I was younger.”
SAMANTHA DAVIES
YEAR Graduate Student
MAJOR
HOMETOWN Hood River, Oregon
Master of Business Administration
Samantha Davies believes that anything worth doing is worth immersing yourself in, and her education from the David Eccles School of Business is no exception.
As a graduate student at the Eccles School, Samantha has served as part of the MBA Student Government and participated in programs at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. And, she says, it’s thanks to the generous scholarship support she’s received.
After graduation, she plans to immerse herself in the thriving tech economy in Utah, leveraging her skills and capabilities to help companies navigate strategic partnerships that drive growth and innovation.
“Your generosity makes such a difference in making higher education possible for us at the David Eccles School of Business,” Samantha says. “Your support opens up amazing opportunities for building connections and gaining new experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
MARIA AGREDA
YEAR Sophomore
HOMETOWN West Point, Utah
MAJOR Marketing
Maria Agreda and her family came to Utah from their native Peru seven years ago, in search of new horizons and a better future – a future that included access to a college education. The impact of Maria’s scholarship extends beyond just her own academic pursuits, she said. Her experience in college is also preparing her to help empower others.
“By sharing the benefits of this scholarship with my community, I aspire to create a ripple effect, inspiring others to break the shackles of financial constraints and pursue their educational dreams,” Maria says. “I’d love to thank the David Eccles School of Business for this scholarship and the community of supporters that make this offer possible.”
SIENA ASHDOWN
YEAR Senior HOMETOWN
Salt Lake City, Utah
MAJOR Accounting
Siena Ashdown’s own academic aspirations were inspired by her mother, a native of Argentina and a firstgeneration college student. During her time at the David Eccles School of Business, Siena has done her best to continue her family’s legacy of growth and achievement through higher education, including serving as a Global Business Scholars Ambassador and an intern for Eccles Global. Her academic and personal experiences living and visiting abroad are the foundation of her dream to work internationally one day. Siena currently has an internship with KPMG and hopes to continue her career with them.
“I have always been a hard worker, I love to learn, and I enjoy studying,” Siena says. “Education is the number one, most important thing in my life. I value education and receiving higher education, which is why I am so grateful for your donation. It has allowed me the opportunity to follow my dreams.”
MEGAN ARCHULETA
YEAR Junior HOMETOWN Parker, Colorado
MAJOR Operations & Supply Chain
Coming from a divorced family, Megan Archuleta had to be financially independent from the time she was in high school. Put simply, receiving a scholarship to attend the David Eccles School of Business was a big relief.
Being a scholarship recipient has allowed Megan to make the most of her Eccles experience, participating in opportunities like the Goff Strategic Leadership Center, and working closely with career coaches to help her plan her next steps.
“Programs like this are what help students excel and put them steps ahead of their peers,” Megan said. “Being a recipient of this scholarship means so much to me. This is groceries, rent, and even additional tuition I no longer have to pay. Thank you so much for this scholarship.”
DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARSHIP DONORS & PAST HONOREES
Don & Jane Pugh
Family Foundation
Jack & Melanie Elizondo
Chris Palacios
Wheeler Machinery
Paul Bingham
Tom and Shirley Callanan
Val A. & Edith D. Green Foundation
Zions Bancoporation
Francis A. Madsen Family
Rocky Mountain Power Foundation
Rio Tinto Corporation
John Roland Anderson Family
Steiner Foundation
Rick Baldini, Dino Pappas, and Peter Zolintakis
Jessie T. and Nancy Montez
Joseph and Raye Ringholz
W. Harold “Had” and Gloria S. Dobson
Workers Compensation Fund
Edna Firmage Richards
S. Del and LaRee W. Low Family
Bamberger Memorial Foundation
DONOR SPOTLIGHT: WOODBURY FAMILY
Tradition is important to the Woodbury family. You don’t sustain a family-owned business for more than 100 years – with leadership into the fourth and fifth generations – without it.
One important tradition for the Woodburys is education. Whether studying at the David Eccles School of Business, or earning degrees in architecture, engineering, and more, education has provided a foundation of success for every generation of the Woodbury family.
“We’ve all felt like the University of Utah was our home school,” said Guy Woodbury, who serves as Senior Vice President – Hospitality, at Woodbury Corporation, the company founded by his grandfather, F. Orrin Woodbury. And getting a good education has been key to the longevity of the Woodbury Corporation, he added.
“Our family members have sensed the need to bring some skills to the table,” he said. “I think that’s helped us stay together.”
Another Woodbury tradition: working in the family business. Randy Woodbury, Vice Chairman at the Woodbury Coporation, remembers being more interested in is job than his studies when
he first came to the Eccles School in 1974, but his senior year the lights came on and he started to see the connection between what he was learning at school to what he was doing at work.
As the role of the university has expanded, and deliberate efforts have been made to use the U as a resource for research, development, learning and more, more and more students are having those “lights on” experiences and connecting what they are learning to what they can do in their jobs and careers.
“I see how the university is a fundamental part of nurturing the economic vitality of the state,” said Rick Woodbury, Chairman at the Woodbury Coporation.
And the third Woodbury tradition? Giving back so the door of opportunity is open to as many students as possible.
Establishing an endowed scholarship at the Eccles School fulfilled the wish of Randy and Guy Woodbury’s father, Orrin R. Woodbury, but it was also a way to pay forward some of the generosity that had been extended to them.
The Woodbury Family From left to right: Jeff, Rick, Randy, and Guy
“I attended the Eccles School four years on a scholarship,” said Guy Woodbury. “I have a great appreciation for that. I felt it really helped me so I could focus more time on my studies and do better.”
The importance of giving back was taught by their parents and grandparents, said Jeff Woodbury, Senior Vice President – Development and Acquisitions, but the lesson really came home when Jeff and Rick’s brother, Lynn, was paralyzed in a trampoline accident.
Lynn Woodbury passed away in 2023, but his influence has stayed with his family and their company.
“It taught us all a lesson that we need to dig in and help one another and grow together,” Rick Woodbury said.
The whole family agrees that the University of Utah and the David Eccles School of Business have been the perfect place to put that principle into practice because the impact of scholarship support is generational and far-reaching.
“The family has always felt that donations to the university are donations to the community,” Jeff Woodbury said. “We aren’t just building something for our families, but our employees’ families and the families in the community.”
“I attended the Eccles School four years on a scholarship… I have a great appreciation for that. I felt it really helped me so I could focus more time on my studies and do better.”
-GUY WOODBURY
They just hope that students receiving scholarship support today will be inspired –the way the Woodburys have been – to pay it forward when the time is right.
After all, as Jeff Woodbury says, “Sharing your bounty is really fun.”
DONOR SPOTLIGHT:
KENT AND DEBORAH BOWMAN
When Kent and Deborah Bowman think of the David Eccles School of Business, the first thing that comes up is always gratitude. They easily agree that the degrees they earned from the Eccles School – and BA and MS in accounting for him, and a business management degree for her – changed their lives. And so did the scholarship support they received to help them complete those degrees.
“The most important thing is that he had a scholarship,” Deborah said of Kent. “We both felt like that was such an important thing for us, starting out newly married and having that access to education. It gave us a leg up.”
Their experience at the Eccles School was such an important and positive one, Kent said, that he wanted to stay close to the school and the Eccles community after he graduated. He joined the Accounting Advisory Board, and helped recruit Eccles grads to Arthur Anderson, the accounting firm where he spent much of his career. Interacting with students and seeing them so excited to start their new careers was his favorite part, Kent said, largely because he knew firsthand
how those careers would change not only the lives of those students, but their families as well. Kent and Deborah also know firsthand how important scholarships are to making lifechanging educational experiences possible, and they committed early on to offering generous financial support that would help students access an education – and make the most of it. In addition to scholarship money that goes directly to students, the Bowmans have also contributed to building projects, including contributions to the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building, the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Building, and the new Impact & Prosperity Epicenter.
Many of the students the Bowmans support through scholarships are in difficult financial circumstances – similar to what Kent and Deborah experienced when they were students –and knowing that their path to higher education is being made easier is immensely gratifying, they said.
“The concept of paying it forward, if people can learn that and internalize that, they can make a difference. People make the difference,” Kent
said. “If you get one bright spot where someone steps up and says, ‘I believe in you, take this and run with it,’ that can really change their lives. It’s wonderful to see.”
For Deborah, the magic of scholarship support is that you are not only investing in someone now – you are investing in their future self and opportunities.
“The concept of paying it forward, if people can learn that and internalize that, they can make a difference. People make the difference… If you get one bright spot where someone steps up and says, ‘I believe in you, take this and run with it,’ that can really change their lives. It’s wonderful to see.”
-KENT BOWMAN
“You’re giving something that lasts forever,” Deborah said. “Investing in people can have a real ripple effect.”
Part of that ripple effect, the Bowmans hope, will be current scholarship recipients becoming donors themselves when the time is right.
“The people who I have watched, the people who are generous, the people who show up, they tend to be the most successful,” Kent said. “Give first and it will come back tenfold. It’s a really fun way of living life. And a meaningful one, too.”
DAVID ECCLES
THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for being part of our Eccles community, and for supporting our students through scholarships. As you can see, your generous contributions make a world of difference. Earning a college degree is a lifelong dream for many of our students, and many of those same students would not be able to realize that dream without a scholarship. They – and we – are so grateful for your generosity.
But the power of scholarships is more than just financial support. It also matters to these students to know that someone is in their corner – that you are rooting for them and are invested in their success. It motivates them to work hard and do well and make the most of the incredible opportunity they’ve been provided. And their success is not just their own. It means success for their families, their employers, our school, our community, and our economy. You are part of a virtuous cycle of progress and growth that will pay dividends for years to come.
Thank you again for being part of changing so many lives for the better.
Katie Amundsen Assistant Dean, Alumni Relations & Development