Sally and Dennis von Waaden

Changing Lives by: donating a portion of their retirement account in 2002 as the investment fund for the students in Finance 653 — Security and Portfolio Analysis — in K-State’s College of Business Administration.

K-State connection: Dennis von Waaden, a 1962 accounting alumnus, along with his wife, Sally, who also attended K-State, remain active in the university. Dennis and Sally are members of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees, and Dennis is a member of its executive committee and chairman of the investment advisory committee. Dennis has also been on either the finance advisory board or the College of Business Administration advisory board since the early 1990s. Dennis and Sally have also contributed to numerous scholarships, professorships, excellence funds, projects and more during the last 20 years, including a new donation of $10,000 per year to a discretionary fund for the College of Business Administration dean’s office.

Why they gave: “The students make a powerful impression on us,” Dennis said. “I’ve heard so many times that the work ethic and intelligence that’s coming out of K-State is right at the top. I go home and share that with Sally and we’re both excited about being able to participate in helping to make that happen.”

Impact: “Over the last year and a half, the students have added roughly $75,000 to the original $250,000 portfolio. On invested funds, the students’ rate of return has exceeded returns on both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard and Poor’s 500 Average,” Professor Eric Higgins said.

What people are saying: “The most valuable thing for me was the hands-on application the class provided,” said May 2004 graduate Adam Wieden, a financial analyst at George K. Baum Advisors LLC, Overland Park, Kan. “Instead of reading hypothetical scenarios and case studies, it allowed us to get involved in day-to-day decisions and have an influence on the outcome. The intangible benefits I obtained from this portfolio analysis provided me with the financial knowledge and background to incorporate in my job search. These skills were instrumental in securing my current position.”