James A. Milgard and the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation have made a $2 million donation to the University of Washington Tacoma to establish the campus’ first endowed deanship, according to a statement released yesterday. Dr. Shahrokh M. Saudagaran has been named the Gary E. and James A. Milgard Endowed Dean at the University of Washington Tacoma. He has served as Milgard Chair in Business and dean of the Milgard School of Business since 2004.
While it’s the first endowed deanship for UW Tacoma, it is the third to be established at the University of Washington. It was created this fall by adding an additional $2 million — $1 million from James Milgard and $1 million from the Gary E. Milgard Family Foundation — to an existing endowed chair. In 2003, the Milgard brothers gave UWT $15 million, which included $2 million to endow a chair.
James Milgard has pledged a total of $5 million to UW Tacoma this year. Combined with his previous giving, James Milgard is recognized as one of the University of Washington’s most influential individual donors, known as Presidential Laureates.
“I’m very pleased with the success of the Milgard School of Business, its graduates’ contributions to our community and how well Dean Saudagaran is doing there,” James Milgard said.
“The endowed deanship advances UWT and the Milgard School of Business’ contribution to the community,” said Chancellor Patricia Spakes. “Since 1994, the School of Business has graduated 1,600 students who are shaping the environment in which they operate. They are leaders who better global business in a socially responsible manner.”
The Milgard School of Business offers undergraduate and graduate education for citizens of the state of Washington, especially in the South Puget Sound region. Integrating innovative teaching, scholarship and service into business and academic communities, the school places an emphasis on cultivating collaborative relationships with the community.
Saudagaran specializes in international accounting and financial reporting in emerging markets. He brings to the position credentials in both the academic and business realms. He is a scholar and speaker on topics related to international accounting. He has worked with organizations in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Saudagaran is an active participant in national and international accounting organizations, and serves on the editorial boards of several international accounting journals.
He served as the Arthur Andersen Centennial Professor and Head of the School of Accounting at Oklahoma State University (2000-2004) and the McCullough Professor of Accounting and Director of the International Business Studies Institute at Santa Clara University (1986-2000).
In 2002, the Japanese Association for International Accounting Studies awarded him a lifetime honorary membership in recognition of his contributions to international accounting. In 2004, he received the American Accounting Association’s Outstanding International Accounting Educator award. He received the Santa Clara University Dean’s Award for Outstanding Business School Professor (1998), the Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award (1991) as well as the Accounting Association Teacher of the Year Award (1988, 1992).
In addition to receiving several teaching awards, Dr. Saudagaran has also been recognized for his research on the impact of accounting diversity on global capital markets and financial reporting in emerging markets, particularly those in Asia. He was awarded the KPMG Peat Marwick Research Fellowship (1989-91) and the KPMG Peat Marwick Faculty Fellowship (1991-94). Saudagaran has presented his research at conferences and universities worldwide, including New York University, Stanford, the University of Washington, Australian National University, Macquarie University, University of New South Wales (Australia), Chubu University (Japan), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), Gadjah Madah University (Indonesia), the Norwegian School of Management, the Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden), and Warwick University (UK).
He consults and teaches executive seminars in international accounting and finance for corporations in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Saudagaran obtained a bachelor of commerce degree with honors from the University of Bombay (1976), an MBA from the Iran Center for Management Studies (1977), and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington (1986). He was licensed as a CPA in Washington state in 1984.