The 58th Annual Shidler College of Business premier student event “Business Night” drew over 500 business professionals and students to Sheraton Waikiki on May 2nd for an evening of networking, learning and sharing. Through Business Night, students gain confidence, insightful information, and valuable advice to guide them through their job search and into their professional careers.
This year, with support from Hawai‘i’s business community and alumni, the college presented 43 merit awards to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students totaling $76,000.
Business Night also featured keynote speaker and Shidler alumna Patrick “Rick” Ching, president and chief operating officer of Servco Pacific, Inc. In his speech, Ching shared his work experiences and offered advice to help guide the next generation of leaders.
The First Insurance Company of Hawaii (FICOH) returned as title sponsor of Business Night for the 14th consecutive year and Hawaii Business Magazine served as the media sponsor for its third year.
“Our Business Night sponsorship has become part of FICOH’s core support for Shidler. Dean Roley and the entire staff at Shidler continue to deliver a superior “product”- a high-quality business education to prepare the next generation of leaders in our community,” said Jeffrey Shonka, president and CEO of FICOH.
“For nearly six decades, Business Night has played an important role in preparing our students for the workplace, recognizing student achievements and introducing students to the business community,” said Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. “All of this is possible due to the generous support from our alumni and the Hawai‘i business community. We are especially grateful to First Insurance Company and its CEO Jeff Shonka for their continuous title sponsorship of Business Night.”
Over the past two decades, First Insurance has funded a $1 million endowed professorship in risk management, a $100,000 endowed scholarships, $160,000 to support the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, $150,000 to name the corporate interview rooms at the college and most recently, established a second $1 million endowed professorship in insurance.