Jindal School of Management Dean Hasan Pirkul (at left in both photos) accepts scholarship donations from Ericsson North America President Angel Ruiz (in photo at left) and from Southwest Securities Group President and CEO James H. Ross.
Communications technology and services provider Ericsson and securities broker-dealer Southwest Securities Group co-sponsored the recent Naveen Jindal School of Management Scholarship Breakfast. The annual fundraiser also attracted the backing of 23 other corporate supporters.
In all, the November 8 event raised $107,000. The funds will be used to create 46 new scholarships, which will be awarded during the spring 2013 semester.
Technology visionary Krish Prabhu, president and CEO of AT&T Labs, told the audience in the breakfast keynote address that the amount of time it takes concepts and ideas to move to market will shrink in the future. Innovations are arriving at a pace that consumers want, Prabhu said. “It’s truly the consumer who is ultimately driving the pace of innovation.”
A longtime supporter of both UT Dallas and the Jindal School, Prabhu is a life member of the UT Dallas Development Board and recent inductee into the Metroplex Technology Business Council’s Tech Titan Hall of Fame. He spoke to an audience of about 300 donors, students, alumni, faculty and staff.
The annual breakfast programs have raised more than $300,000 and funded nearly 150 new scholarship awards for Jindal School graduate and undergraduate students. Money raised through the Scholarship Breakfast count toward the Jindal School’s $50 million goal in the $200 million Realize the Vision campaign for UT Dallas to achieve Tier One standing. To date, more than $125 million has been raised toward the $200 million goal.
Before introducing Prabhu, Dr. Hasan Pirkul, dean of the Jindal School and Caruth Chair of Management, told the audience that scholarships are critical to the success of students’ educational journeys.
“The idea is that no student should ever be denied an education because they cannot afford it,” Pirkul said. “If they are smart and they are hardworking, we should be able to provide them an education, and that’s what we’ll continue to work toward.”
