Jim, BS ’53, and Shirley, BA ’53, Rippey
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.
Add that to the list of debunked clichés at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, where highly accomplished professors of practice bring hard-earned knowledge from the field directly to students.
A recent $1.565 million gift from Shirley and Jim Rippey will bring a new professor of practice to the Lundquist College as early as next fall. These nontenured faculty positions are held by a limited number of accomplished, highly qualified business leaders. A portion of the Rippeys’ gift will also fund graduate student scholarships.
“It gives me a great deal of pleasure to be able to make this gift,” said Jim Rippey, cofounder of the first mutual fund company in Oregon. “Education is the key to Oregon’s economic success.”
Rippey grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon. After attending the UO, he went on to earn his master’s degree at New York University, work for Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, and return to Oregon to start Columbia Management Company. The firm became the Pacific Northwest’s largest money management company.
“The University of Oregon gave me a lot, and I’m pleased to be giving back,” said Rippey. “There’s a great need for scholarships, particularly at the graduate level. And the idea of professors of practice makes sense. They bring a great deal of practical knowledge for the students.”
For more than 55 years, the Rippeys have served the UO as leaders and active volunteers. In addition to the Lundquist College, they’ve given generously to Knight Library, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.
A UO business administration major, Jim served as a UO Foundation trustee for a decade, starting in 1986. In 1996, the Rippeys received the UO Presidential Medal for extraordinary service to the university. Jim was recognized for his business and community leadership with the 2004 University of Oregon Pioneer Award.
He founded Columbia Management Company in 1967 with business partner John “Jerry” Inskeep. Columbia offered one of the first money-market mutual funds in the nation. At the time of Jim’s retirement in 1999, Columbia Management managed assets of over $20 billion.
The Rippeys’ gift will continue a successful trend at the Lundquist College of Business. The college’s first professor of practice was Michael Crooke, former CEO of Patagonia. Crooke grew up in Oregon and is a former Navy SEAL.
“As we build on the success of our Avamere Professor of Practice Michael Crooke, we look to enhance our offerings to include professors of practice for each of our four centers of excellence,” said Kees de Kluyver, dean of the Lundquist College of Business and James F. and Shirley K. Rippey Business Professor.
“This is an auspicious next step, and we are incredibly thankful for the Rippeys’ dedication to bolstering the academy with unmatched, real-world talent.”
A $700,000 portion of the Rippeys’ gift will add to an earlier $300,000 contribution from the Rippeys to fund a new professor of practice in the college’s Finance and Securities Analysis Center for approximately four years. The remaining $865,000 will support MBA scholarships.
“The Rippeys’ gift will transform our MBA program,” said Michele Henney, program manager for the center. “It sets our smaller boutique program apart to have these professors of practice, because our students have so much access to the faculty. Other programs may have executives on campus, but they also have many more students.
“This will give our students opportunities to interact with an experienced practitioner in the area of finance and securities analysis. It will also give them access to someone with one heck of a Rolodex. The networking opportunities these executives provide are invaluable to our students, faculty members, and alumni.”
The MBA scholarships will also help the school compete for top students, said Henney.
“With these scholarships, we can attract and retain excellent students who really want to attend the UO. I can’t even begin to thank Shirley and Jim for their generosity.”