"If the University of Oregon were a stock, it would be a good investment. It's an undiscovered opportunity," said Abbott Keller '72. "The Lundquist College of Business puts out an amazingly high-quality product in its students."

Keller is founder and chief investment officer of Kestrel Investment Management Corporation, which takes a unique value-oriented approach to investing. Keller and his wife Laura recently invested $1 million in the Lundquist college to advance the notoriety of its finance department by creating the Abbott Keller Distinguished Research Scholar, a three-year appointment, and two yearlong Abbott Keller Research Fellows.

 These endowed positions will support the evolution of productive junior faculty into senior faculty positions for the next three years. Eventually, the Kellers' gift will revert to a more typical endowed professorship.

To similarly support research faculty, Morris (Morry) A. Arntson, Jr. '59 has made a $250,000 leadership gift to the Lundquist College of Business as part of Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, Transforming Business. Arntson's gift establishes the Morry Arntson Faculty Excellence Fund to annually support junior faculty members who have shown promise in research and teaching.

"In a time of limited government support for higher education, private investment helps increase the quality of students and elevate the profile of the college and the state of Oregon," explained Arntson, who has been a longtime supporter of the Lundquist College of Business and is a member of the college's Business Advisory Council.

Both Arntson's and the Kellers' gifts come on the heals of an anonymous $1,250,000 campaign leadership gift to endow a new professorship. This endowment will additionally nurture scholarship and teaching at the college, enabling it to retain and recruit the distinguished senior professors who are vital to ensuring a superior education for students. (Look for more information about these and other gifts in the upcoming spring 2006 issue of the college's UO Business magazine.)

Thanks to the wonderful support of generous donors like these, the Lundquist College of Business is successfully evolving its prominence among the nation's top business schools.