Swing for Students surpasses $400,000 raised for student scholarships
The Wayne State University School of Business Administration Alumni Association’s seventh annual Swing for the Students golf outing raised nearly $50,000 to the endowment fund for the business school’s Emerging Leaders Scholarship. This addition brings the total raised via this event to more than $400,000.
The 2013 event was held on July 22 at the Detroit Golf Club. A full field of 175 golfers began the day with lunch, followed by a shotgun start on both of DGC’s 18-hole courses. The day concluded with a networking reception and plated dinner.
A new addition this year was a live "speed painting" demonstration by local artist, Dave Santia. Santia’s two paintings were auctioned off before dinner, raising $2,300 for the scholarship fund.
Dinnertime speakers included School of Business Interim Dean Margaret L. Williams, WSU Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs David Ripple and Matt Simoncini, president and CEO of Lear Corporation. Simoncini is one of a group of dedicated alumni who actively contribute to the outing’s success, securing Lear as a title sponsor in each of the event’s first seven years and recruiting additional corporate sponsors.
Simoncini was also responsible for inviting a very special guest speaker for this year’s event: University of Michigan former head football coach and College Football Hall of Famer Lloyd Carr. Carr related a story from his coaching days that illustrated the point that we are all where we are thanks to the support of others, a point that was not lost on the final speaker of the evening, 2011 Emerging Leader scholarship recipient, Nia Henderson.
"I’m always trying to inspire others and never forget to reach back and try to help others attain their goals. Receiving this scholarship makes me want to help people the way that all of you have helped me," Henderson said.
Thank you to all of this year’s event sponsors, the School of Business Administration Alumni Association and the 2013 Golf Committee: John Bukowicz (Chair), Ned Grant, Vishal Shah, Matt Simoncini and Shawn Snell. For more information – including a complete list of sponsors – or to support the scholarship endowment, please visit business.wayne.edu/swing.
The 2014 Swing for the Students will be be held July 21.
