[Vision2020] Nice donation to the U of I

[Carl Westberg]

>From the U of I website:  Carl Westberg Jr.    
Leadership that invests in the futureJeff and Kristine Stoddard When
Jeff Stoddard ’75,’76 graduated from the College of Business and
Economics – first with a degree in management, then with a degree in
accounting – he began a lifelong tradition of supporting both athletics
and scholastics at the University of Idaho. 

As a young
graduate he gave what he could afford: donations of $5, $25 and $100.
Over the years, his commitment never wavered and his generosity grew.
Now, Jeff and his wife, Kris, have presented the University with a
leadership gift of $1 million. The gift supports the ASUI-Kibbie
Activity Center Renovation and Expansion project and establishes the
Jeff and Kristine Stoddard Distinguished Teaching Scholar Endowment to
attract and retain top-notch faculty in the College of Business and
Economics.

“Faculty members define a college, and the best have
profound impacts on their students,” says College of Business and
Economics Dean Jack Morris. “Jeff and Kris personify the values that
our faculty members hope to instill in each and every one of our
graduates –entrepreneurial spirit, integrity and a sense of community.”

The
Stoddards’ gift has generated significant momentum to the fundraising
efforts for both the Kibbie Dome and the College of Business and
Economics. Their generosity is a direct reflection of what Jeff says
was the most important lessons he learned at Idaho: Plan ahead, aim
high, and invest in a solid foundation.

“I spent some of the
best years of my life at the University of Idaho, and I have a strong
emotional connection to the place,” says Jeff. “However, the more
important reason for our support is that the University urgently needs
help from its alums. With financial support from the state lacking, the
only way the University can maintain its academic standing and hope to
remain the University in the state is with significant financial
assistance from its friends and alums.”

As a student, Jeff says
that he was deeply influenced by accounting professor Hal Jones who
gave him a framework for success. “He was the one who encouraged me to
build the best foundation you possibly can for later in life,” recounts
Jeff. “He saw that I was doing well in school and told me I might want
to consider Harvard Business School. Well, at that time Harvard just
wasn’t on my radar – but he helped me believe that I might be
admitted.” Jeff graduated from Harvard with an MBA in 1978.

Jeff
began his career in Chicago in commercial banking where he helped
developers secure financing. That experience proved to be invaluable
when, in 1983, he became one of the founding partners of the Buie
Corporation, a commercial real estate development company. Now known as
the Buie-Stoddard Group, the company specializes in developing
commercial properties and residential communities throughout Southern
California. 

In 2007, Jeff was presented with the University’s
Silver and Gold Award, an honor given to a select few alumni that
signifies exceptional success in their chosen field.

Still, his fondest college memory is his freshman year at Idaho.

“How
can that not be the greatest time?” he asks. “Freedom, a wide open
path, innocence and youth – it doesn’t get better than that! And, of
course, that’s when I met the girl who became my wife.”

Kris and
Jeff both lived in the Wallace residence hall complex. After her first
year, Kris left Moscow to study physical therapy at the University of
Utah. “She was dating my friend but I pursued her and eventually she
–reluctantly – succumbed!” laughs Jeff. Married for 30 years, the
couple has three children.

Jeff is an avid Vandals fan. With Rob
Spear and Gary Michael, Jeff formed the Quarterback Club as a means of
raising additional money for the athletic program. Last summer, the
Stoddards held a fundraiser for the Vandal Scholarship Fund at their
summer home on Payette Lake in McCall.

“Jeff is one of Vandal
Athletics’ best friends,” says Rob Spear, director of athletics. “I was
tremendously excited about the Stoddards’ leadership gift because it
indicates that Jeff believes in the vision we have for our athletic
program. When Jeff Stoddard shows support and commitment to a project,
those projects become successful.
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