New Venture Championship
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Future Oregon entrepreneurs will be better prepared to launch a successful business in a global marketplace, thanks to a $5 million gift to the University of Oregon from Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle and his wife, Mary. The Boyles’ gift will help the university turn its New Venture Championship (NVC) student business plan competition into the world’s first with an Asian focus and take steps to launch what would be Oregon’s first comprehensive product design initiative.
The gift includes $3.5 million for the New Venture Championship, which is already one of the top three in the country. The funds will be divided between the Lundquist College of Business, which runs the competition, and the School of Journalism and Communication, whose students market the annual contest. The remaining $1.5 million of the gift will go to the School of Architecture and Allied Arts to plan and implement a proposed multidisciplinary program in product design and material studies.
“The Boyles’ generosity will help our students learn to develop strong collaborative business teams whose visions extend across borders,” said UO President Dave Frohnmayer. “Tim has demonstrated through his own business success the importance of a cooperative and global outlook, and now he and Mary are making it possible for future entrepreneurs to adopt an even broader perspective.”
