Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — Paul and Sandra Edgerley, Brookline, Massachusetts, have made a challenge-matching gift of $5 million to the College of Business Administration at Kansas State University.

The Edgerleys have committed $5 million to the college's new Career Counseling and Skill Development program, matching donations to the program from other donors at 50 percent. This program will work with faculty, the college's Professional Advantage program staff, the university's career and employment services, executive mentors and advisers to best prepare students for careers with their dream companies.

Julie and Roger Davis, Chicago, Illinois, are the first to accept the challenge by giving $500,000 to the new career coaching program. The Edgerleys have matched that gift with a donation of $250,000 to the program.

Julie Davis is a 1978 graduate of the College of Business Administration with a degree in accounting. She was recognized as an Alumni Fellow in 2009. She also was inducted into the college's Accounting Hall of Fame.

The Davises are members of the Kansas State University Foundation's President's Club and 1863 Circle, philanthropic leadership organizations for friends and alumni of the university, and the Land Grant Legacy Society, an organization for those who have included the university in their estate plans.

"When Dean Malekzadeh described the career coaching program to us, we immediately knew it would help College of Business Administration students better understand themselves, including their interests, aptitudes and natural personalities, so that they are able to make informed choices of majors and career paths," Julie Davis said. "We are delighted to be the first to respond to the Edgerleys' extraordinarily generous and inspiring matching gift challenge."

Paul Edgerley graduated from Kansas State University in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in business. He earned a master's degree in business from Harvard Business School in 1983. He is managing director of Bain Capital Partners LLC, a private investment firm based in Boston. He is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council for the College of Business Administration, serves on the board of trustees of the KSU Foundation and is a former member of the foundation's board of directors. He was honored as the 2002 College of Business Administration Alumni Fellow. He was named a Distinguished Business Leader of 2004, and that same year was inducted into the college's Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

Sandra Edgerley graduated from Harvard University in 1984 with a degree in biology. She earned a master's degree in business from Harvard Business School in 1989. She worked at Bain & Co. for 10 years and is an active leader in a number of Boston-based children's and educational charitable institutions.

The Edgerleys are members of the KSU Foundation's President's Club and have served the university in a number of capacities, notably as east region chairs for the university's most recent large-scale fundraising effort, the Changing Lives Campaign.

"The success of the university should be measured in whether we graduate students who have the skills and character to build a happy and productive life," Paul Edgerley said. "Sandy and I believe an enhanced career planning and coaching effort in the College of Business Administration is critical to support students in matching their strengths, interests and lifestyle preferences to selecting and preparing for the right career path and connecting them with the right first employer."

"Once again, Paul and Sandra Edgerley have stepped forward to help us start a program to make sure College of Business Administration students are well-prepared for their careers," said Ali Malekzadeh, Edgerley family dean of the college. "Through an extremely generous matching gift, we will be able to hire a 'head coach' and several 'assistant coaches' to walk in our hallways and provide advice and counseling on careers to the students. With the ongoing success of the Executive Mentor and the Professional Advantage programs, the addition of career coaches will be the final step for making the college's career programs among the best in the U.S.

"Julie and Roger Davis are two of our most prominent supporters and generous donors," Malekzadeh said. "Julie and Roger have a special passion for the students' preparation. They want to make sure our students receive appropriate direction and assessment from the first day they step on campus until they graduate and find outstanding careers. We are very grateful to the Davises for their continued generosity toward the College of Business Administration and K-State."

Philanthropic contributions to the university are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.