Orlando Magic owner's gift to provide university program and salary support
DeVos Family Gives $6.5 Million to UCF
January 24, 2006
ORLANDO, FL - The National Consortium for Academics and Sport (NCAS) and the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida today announced a gift of $6.5 million from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.
Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the DeVos Program and president of the consortium, announced the gift with Rich DeVos, chairman of the Orlando Magic. The gift included support for an endowment with $5 million from the DeVos Foundation that, when combined with an anticipated matching gift from the state of Florida, will create a $10 million endowment for the NCAS. An additional $1.5 million gift provides operating support for the NCAS over three years.
The DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program at UCF, originally funded by another $2.5 million grant from Rich and Helen DeVos that was also matched by the state of Florida, is a unique graduate program preparing students with the business skills necessary to work in modern day sport, while at the same time recognizing that sport has the power to help change society.
A graduate of the inaugural class now working for the New Orleans Saints, Casey Knoettgen, demonstrated the vision of the program in a recent guest editorial written for the Orlando Sentinel in which she talked about the power of the New Orleans Saints to help lift the spirits of that devastated community. Jason Williams, a graduate of the second class, was working for the New Orleans Hornets at the time.
All DeVos graduates leave understanding that they have a special goal in the world of sport inspired by the vision of Rich DeVos and enhanced by the mission of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program.
Richard Lapchick asked for the gift when the National Consortium was at a crossroads. "Our original funders, who provided more than $20 million over the last 20 years, have gone in a different direction. Rich DeVos stepped up to the plate with an offer to help," said Lapchick. "The endowment will guarantee that we can operate successful programs under the consortium's banner at UCF and around the country in perpetuity. Having an endowment gives us the ability to raise other funds for some specific new initiatives that might be undertaken by the consortium. It is an exciting time for all of us involved."
The endowment will provide program and salary support for university employees in their NCAS work at UCF. To benefit the university, the NCAS will: * Conduct degree completion programs for former university student-athletes; * Annually educate DeVos Sport Business Management graduate students, undergraduate students who are minoring in the DeVos Program, and university student-athletes in diversity management training and gender violence prevention training; * Develop and present an academic course on ethical principles in sport for university student-athletes; * Annually award graduate assistant positions to DeVos Sport Business Management students; * Fund the coordination of the for-credit community service program requirement for DeVos students each year; * Support DeVos faculty efforts to enhance NCAS programs; * Actively assist in the recruitment and retention of students in the DeVos program.
The National Consortium is made up of more than 220 colleges and universities around the country. Each member agrees to bring back, tuition-free, student-athletes who have not graduated when their eligibility expired. In exchange, those student-athletes are required to participate in the school's community service program during the period of their enrollment. In the 20 years of the consortium's history, more than 26,400 students have returned to finish their degrees and have worked with over 14 million students in the community service program. They have donated over 15.7 million hours of service.
"The DeVos gift guarantees the longevity of this important part of the UCF College of Business Administration,” said college Dean Thomas Keon. “The consortium and DeVos Sport Business Management program are the anchors for the college’s relationship to the sport community. This will allow our students and staff the opportunity to enrich sport education.”
"The generous support of the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation will enable student-athletes who leave college early to return and receive the degrees that are so critical to their lives after sports," UCF President John Hitt said. "The gift also ensures that we can continue to give our students the business and leadership skills they need to work in sports management, sports law and other related fields in athletics."
ORLANDO, FL - The National Consortium for Academics and Sport (NCAS) and the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida today announced a gift of $6.5 million from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.
Dr. Richard Lapchick, director of the DeVos Program and president of the consortium, announced the gift with Rich DeVos, chairman of the Orlando Magic. The gift included support for an endowment with $5 million from the DeVos Foundation that, when combined with an anticipated matching gift from the state of Florida, will create a $10 million endowment for the NCAS. An additional $1.5 million gift provides operating support for the NCAS over three years.
The DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program at UCF, originally funded by another $2.5 million grant from Rich and Helen DeVos that was also matched by the state of Florida, is a unique graduate program preparing students with the business skills necessary to work in modern day sport, while at the same time recognizing that sport has the power to help change society.
A graduate of the inaugural class now working for the New Orleans Saints, Casey Knoettgen, demonstrated the vision of the program in a recent guest editorial written for the Orlando Sentinel in which she talked about the power of the New Orleans Saints to help lift the spirits of that devastated community. Jason Williams, a graduate of the second class, was working for the New Orleans Hornets at the time.
All DeVos graduates leave understanding that they have a special goal in the world of sport inspired by the vision of Rich DeVos and enhanced by the mission of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program.
Richard Lapchick asked for the gift when the National Consortium was at a crossroads. "Our original funders, who provided more than $20 million over the last 20 years, have gone in a different direction. Rich DeVos stepped up to the plate with an offer to help," said Lapchick. "The endowment will guarantee that we can operate successful programs under the consortium's banner at UCF and around the country in perpetuity. Having an endowment gives us the ability to raise other funds for some specific new initiatives that might be undertaken by the consortium. It is an exciting time for all of us involved."
The endowment will provide program and salary support for university employees in their NCAS work at UCF. To benefit the university, the NCAS will: * Conduct degree completion programs for former university student-athletes; * Annually educate DeVos Sport Business Management graduate students, undergraduate students who are minoring in the DeVos Program, and university student-athletes in diversity management training and gender violence prevention training; * Develop and present an academic course on ethical principles in sport for university student-athletes; * Annually award graduate assistant positions to DeVos Sport Business Management students; * Fund the coordination of the for-credit community service program requirement for DeVos students each year; * Support DeVos faculty efforts to enhance NCAS programs; * Actively assist in the recruitment and retention of students in the DeVos program.
The National Consortium is made up of more than 220 colleges and universities around the country. Each member agrees to bring back, tuition-free, student-athletes who have not graduated when their eligibility expired. In exchange, those student-athletes are required to participate in the school's community service program during the period of their enrollment. In the 20 years of the consortium's history, more than 26,400 students have returned to finish their degrees and have worked with over 14 million students in the community service program. They have donated over 15.7 million hours of service.
"The DeVos gift guarantees the longevity of this important part of the UCF College of Business Administration,” said college Dean Thomas Keon. “The consortium and DeVos Sport Business Management program are the anchors for the college’s relationship to the sport community. This will allow our students and staff the opportunity to enrich sport education.”
"The generous support of the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation will enable student-athletes who leave college early to return and receive the degrees that are so critical to their lives after sports," UCF President John Hitt said. "The gift also ensures that we can continue to give our students the business and leadership skills they need to work in sports management, sports law and other related fields in athletics."
