Sources: April Mason, 785-532-6224, masona@k-state.edu;
and Yar Ebadi, 785-532-7227, ebadi@k-state.edu
Pronouncer: Yar rhymes with jar, and Ebadi is EE-BOD-EE
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-2535.
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-2535, bbohn@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

YAR EBADI FIRST TO SERVE IN EDGERLEY FAMILY ENDOWED DEANSHIP

MANHATTAN -- Yar Ebadi, dean of Kansas State University's College of Business Administration, will be the first to serve in the new Edgerley Family Endowed Deanship in the College of Business Administration.

The endowed deanship -- the first at K-State -- was established by Paul and Sandra Edgerley, Brookline, Mass. Ebadi's appointment was made by Kirk Schulz, K-State president, and April Mason, provost and senior vice president.

The Edgerleys have been longtime supporters of K-State, contributing to a number of scholarships, funds and faculty chairs in the past 10 years, including the Paul B. and Sandra M. Edgerley Business Administration Scholarship; the Paul B. Edgerley Chair in Business Administration; the Edgerley-Franklin Urban Leadership Scholarship, in honor of friends Bernard and Elsia Franklin; the Robert M. Edgerley Chair in International Business, in honor of his father; the Edgerley Family Chair in the College of Business Administration; and the President Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration.

"The Edgerleys' generous support for the endowed deanship ensures K-State's College of Business Administration will continue to enjoy only top-notch leadership now and in the future," Schulz said. "This will be essential as the university works to become a top 50 public research university."

Ebadi served a year as interim dean of the college before becoming dean in 1996. Mason said Ebadi's leadership has earned the college national recognition and is why he was selected to serve in the Edgerley Family Endowed Deanship.

"Under Dean Ebadi's leadership the College of Business Administration's enrollment has increased by more than 40 percent, and student scholarships have more than quadrupled," Mason said. "Nationally, the college has been included in BusinessWeek's list of the top undergraduate business programs, and its master of business administration program has been ranked among the best by the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey."

Mason said Ebadi also has helped the college, with support from the Edgerleys and others, to establish several endowed faculty chairs and fellowships that have been filled by professors who are regarded nationally and internationally as among the best in their fields.

"It is a special privilege to be the inaugural holder of this prestigious endowed deanship that reflects the generosity and continued support of one of the college's most illustrious alumni," Ebadi said. "The contributions of Paul and Sandra Edgerley have been instrumental to enhancing the recognition and reputation of the college at a national level, and we deeply appreciate their investment in the future of K-State and the College of Business Administration.

"In my case, this honor is especially rewarding because of the esteem in which I hold Paul and his family," Ebadi said. "I also want to thank President Schulz and Provost Mason for appointing me as the first recipient of this distinguished chair."

Paul Edgerley is a 1978 K-State graduate, earning a bachelor's in accounting. He went on to earn a master of business administration from Harvard Business School. He serves as a managing director of Bain Capital LLC in Boston, one of the leading alternative asset management firms in the world. Sandra Edgerley earned a bachelor's in biology from Harvard, as well as a master of business administration from Harvard Business School. She is an active volunteer in the Boston area and serves on the boards of several community service organizations.

"K-State has had a huge impact on my life, both in preparing me for a career in business and as a source of lifetime friendships," Paul Edgerley said. "Sandy and I are pleased to support the business college's mission to be the business school of choice in the region by providing excellence in the advancement and dissemination of knowledge consistent with the needs of students, business, faculty and society. We are thrilled that Dean Ebadi will be the first recipient of the Edgerley Family Endowed Chair. The business college has significantly benefited from Yar’s leadership over the past 15 years."

The Edgerleys' $5 million commitment to the endowed deanship provides perpetual funding for advancing excellence in the mission and vision of the college. It also provides assistance for equipment, operating support and travel. The gift qualifies for the state's Faculty of Distinction Program, which augments the fund with additional support once it is funded at the $500,000 level.

A reception recognizing the Edgerleys' gift and honoring Ebadi as the first recipient of the endowed deanship will be at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, in Tadtman Board Room at the K-State Alumni Center.