$1 Million Gift for New Endowed Professorship Comes from Strong Alumni Dedication

Written by Bailey Smith, Communication Intern, College of Business

BGSU alumni Spencer Seaman and Bernard “Bernie” Karr share such a deep affinity and appreciation for the College of Business which has resulted in an exceptional gift of $1million dollars from the Fred E. Scholl Charitable Foundation to establish the first Endowed Professorship of Finance and Insurance in the College of Business.

Spencer Seaman

Seaman, who earned his business degree in accounting in 1979, has served as the investment advisor of the Scholl Foundation, while Karr, who graduated in 1969 from the College of Education, has been the Foundation’s president.

According to Seaman and Karr, one of their biggest priorities as administrators of the Scholl Foundation was to endow a professorship at BGSU. Now was the perfect time to proceed with the new professorship, according to the pair, with the College’s enrollment growth, the new College of Business building, and the high level of student success.

“The College of Business is very grateful and proud to be receiving this professorship,” commented Ray Braun ‘80, dean of the College of Business. “Thank you to the Scholl Foundation, Spence Seaman and Bernie Karr for making such a strong commitment to the College and its students.”

The Scholl Foundation, created in 1997 after the passing of Fred E. Scholl, is a private, grant-making foundation whose primary mission is to support education and human services initiatives. It has donated substantial resources to qualified charitable organizations, the most significant of which have been college scholarships.

Seaman, senior vice president, Wealth Management Financial Advisor for UBS Financial Services Inc. and Karr (pictured right), senior counsel with McDonald Hopkins corporate law firm, believe that endowing a professorship in finance and insurance will serve three purposes. They want to continue momentum around the new business building, student successes and enrollment growth. Second, the professorship will help provide additional resources to hire and retain the right person for the endowed professorship. Third, and most importantly, they want prospective students to recognize BGSU’s College of Business as a preferred destination for those seeking degrees and job placement within finance and insurance industries.

Seaman credits the College of Business for helping him launch his successful wealth management planning career. According to Seaman, the business and accounting curriculum at the College prepared him to successfully complete the CPA exam and helped him develop people skills to provide comprehensive wealth management advice to his valued clients. He stays active with his alma mater through serving as a member of the College of Business Leadership Council.

The University provided a well-rounded educational foundation not only for Spence and Bernie’s careers, but their wives Sue Seaman and Nancy Karr, both BGSU graduates, as well. The four of them feel strongly that helping current and future students through a professorship will continue the long tradition of excellence for many years to come.