Brian Schiller, MHRIR 2004
Brian is our most recent graduates to name an office in the LER building, and his gift comes out of gratitude for the fellowship he received to attend LER. He hopes that gifts like his continue to make it possible for the School to provide a top-quality experience for future students.
His room is named in honor of Flowserve Corp., where he has been employed in roles of increasing responsibility since his graduation. Thus far, his career has afforded him a number of opportunities around the globe, including work in England and China.
Room Donors for the Building Campaign
The School held a “With Illinois” campaign kick-off event on October 13, 2017, to honor donors who have already named offices in our existing building space. Donors were welcomed by Chancellor Robert Jones and Dean Fritz Drasgow, and thanked for their commitment to the future success of the School.
“[Buildings] are important to ensure our students are receiving the best education from accomplished faculty members in state-of-the art facilities. We also know that they help with the recruitment of students and faculty. Over time, they become important symbols of the university that signify excellence to the world,” said Chancellor Jones. “There will be things accomplished here that we cannot even begin to dream about now.”
The donors honored at this event include:
Office Naming -
- Joseph Alutto, AM 1965, In honor of Professor Charles Hulin
- Professor Joe Martocchio, In honor of Professor Walt Franke
- Brian Schiller, MHRIR 2004, In honor of Flowserve Corp
- Lawrence Pearlman, AM 1989, and Family
- George Paulin, AM 1973
- Professor Ron Peters and wife Lilia, Labor Education Office
- Dean Fritz Drasgow wife Jean Drasgow, AM 1998
- Tim Brinkmann, AM 1990
- Alumna Kim Warmbier
- Melissa Padden, AM 1990
Kitchen Naming -
- Eric Newman, in honor of his father, Stephen Newman, AM 1967
Stairwell Naming -
- Phil & Gerry Menzel & Family
Terrace Naming –
- Carl Soderstrom and Family, in honor of Ruben Soderstrom
PepsiCo
In addition to a generous seed gift of $50,000 from PepsiCo, numerous graduates have banded together to increase the size of the gift to $100,000 through personal donations and matching corporate gifts. Together, their gifts will name the PepsiCo Lobby outside our newly-created classrooms.
"The University of Illinois LER Program has been integral to our pipeline of HR talent into PepsiCo. Illinois students adapt well to our PepsiCo HR Model, and our relationship with LER is an important one. Through this relationship we have built our reputation as an employer of choice with this talent pool, and I’m excited to watch it grow and evolve through the proposed expansion and updates of the learning space in the building. We are proud to be involved as a partner in this state-of-the art renovation, "says Tim Brinkmann, AM 1990, Vice President, Human Resources - East Division at PepsiCo.
To learn more about how easily you can grow your donation through a corporate matching gift, visit http://uif.uillinois.edu/WaysToGive/MatchingGifts.php.
Corporate Scholarship Sponsors
Multinational corporations continue to support LER through recruiting and scholarship donations. Corporate scholarships allow LER to continue to provide a fantastic pipeline of fresh HR talent for our donor companies. Donors have early access to the top academic achievers in each class and are seen as companies of choice for our candidates due to their enduring relationship with the program.
This year, we would like to thank the following companies for their participation in our corporate scholarship program:
- Amgen
- The Boeing Company
- BP
- Eaton Corporation
- Emerson
- ExxonMobil
- General Mills
- Maxim Integrated
- McKesson
- PepsiCo
- Phillips 66
- Shell Oil Company
JR Glenn
The School is always excited when young donors and those who have atypical career paths in the employment relations field attribute their success to their time at LER. One such alumnus is JR Glenn, MHRIR 07. After graduation, he finished the GE HRLP program in 2009, subsequently returning to campus and graduating from the College of Law in 2012. He is currently at Cozen O’Connor practicing labor law.
Mr. Glenn’s gift is towards the donor wall for the new building addition, set to break ground in 2018. “LER is a gem in higher education. The program, the education, the people – it’s all top-notch,” he says. “The building should match that hallmark standard that is seen everywhere else. The building should show what this program has to offer, and signify the program’s greatness.”
He reports that LER shaped him into a professional and set him on the path to success. “Although I didn’t know it at the time, this was the best launching pad for both my professional HR career and what later became my legal career. But for LER, I wouldn’t be where I am today as a successful lawyer, or have the ability to give this gift.”
Joe Martocchio
Beyond the loyalty of alumni, it is meaningful when faculty feel strongly enough about their academic home to give generously. Professor Joe Martocchio is one example of this generosity.
Arriving in Champaign in 1989, young, single, and in a new community, Martocchio was welcomed warmly by then-Director Walt Franke and his wife, Pat. He remembers this fondly, as well as the academic direction and mentorship provided by Franke during his years at the then-Institute.
As a result, Joe has given generously to the building campaign to name the dean’s office in honor of Professor Franke. “Walt gave me my chance for an academic career at a world-renowned research institution,” Martocchio recalls. “He looked after me as a new faculty member, and cared for me as a new member of the community.”
Professor Martocchio has taught Compensation from the time he arrived at LER, which is his favorite class. He has taught Statistics, Training, and Employee Benefits over the years as well. This gift towards the building is a reflection of his belief in the importance of the project. “To me, it’s important to pitch in and improve the student experience however I can.”
“I am deeply honored to be recognized in this fashion. The School, students, faculty and staff have always meant a great deal to me, and I appreciate beyond words that Joe made a gift associating my name in a permanent way with the dean’s office. I believe strongly that this building campaign helps LER to maintain its national stature and continue to serve students in the outstanding way that we have been known for since 1946. I’m excited to see what the future holds.” - Walt Franke, LER, 1981-1994
Joe Mies and Erin Mowery Mies
Erin, MHRIR 05, and Joe, MHRIR 04, met as he was finishing his time at the School, and Erin was beginning hers. He was an area resident and Illinois undergrad who might never otherwise have met the Ohio native and alumna of Wittenberg University. The couple has long relayed that LER was responsible for both their personal and professional successes since graduation.
“We were presented with opportunities through LER that we never would have had elsewhere,” says Erin. “We found each other, we made lifelong friends, and we started two successful careers.” Joe is currently an Area HR Manager with Republic Services, and Erin is a Senior HR Manager with Land O’Lakes, who also manages the recruiting relationship between her organization and LER. They reside in Minneapolis.
The couple gave a generous gift to the building campaign earlier in the year, spurred by the Dean’s Challenge, but really felt a pull to provide scholarship support as well. As a student, Erin received financial aid from LER that made the decision to come to Illinois as an out-of-state student possible. “I knew that [the then-Institute] was the right fit for me, and the financial aid package offered to me made the decision possible,” she says.
Their current gift will help future students enjoy the program and future career success, as they each have done. And who knows? Maybe those future LER students will find their life partner in the program as well!
Nell Madigan
Since joining LER 15 years ago, Associate Dean Nell Madigan has grown career services and corporate relations into essential elements of the school’s success. In addition to the job we all know her for, she has been leading plans for the building expansion since 2007, a project that ensures that the school will remain competitive for years to come.
“I am very proud of the success of our students and alumni. The building campaign allows the school to improve our physical facility to match the reputation of the program and make a great first impression with potential students, new faculty, and recruiters,” says Nell. “Contributing to the campaign is one way I can share the importance of this project and let other people who love the school know how strongly I feel.”
The generous gift form Nell and her husband, Matt, demonstrates their commitment to preparing students for the corporate world now and in the future. Their contribution is just one of the ways that the Madigans continue to support students as they launch successful careers at LER.
