GLENDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merle A. Hinrichs, a 1965 alumnus and a Thunderbird School of Global Management Trustee, along with his wife Miriam, have announced a $100,000 grant to start a scholarship for veterans to study at Thunderbird. The announcement was made at the dedication ceremony of the Thunderbird Tower, a historic airfield control tower that helped American, British, Canadian and Chinese pilots train during World War II.
“Thunderbird students are unique in that they receive a great business education. They are global. They are among the most engaged group of people in their communities,” Mr. Hinrichs said. “This scholarship should go to those veterans who have learned a lot from being involved in war, and who wish to be involved in the global community of business.”
Mr. Hinrichs has been responsible for a number of philanthropic projects at Thunderbird and in Asia. In 1994, Hinrichs merged his passion for higher education, information and technology by funding the creation of a state-of-the-art library on Thunderbird’s Glendale, Arizona USA campus — the Merle A. Hinrichs International Business Information Centre (IBIC). He is also a current supporter of several active scholarships at the school, including the Thunderbird Assistance Fund for Asian Students (TAFAS) Award.
In addition to the announcement of the new veterans scholarship at Thunderbird, Hinrichs and his wife Miriam were also the lead donors for the Thunderbird Tower Restoration Project. Miriam made a $2 million pledge in recognition of her husband’s 70th birthday and their shared passion for international education and Thunderbird.
“This building, and I think the whole project, has been student-envisioned, student-led and student-implemented,” Hinrichs said. “It’s an icon and it speaks to our history. It’s important that we build on that history and provide future students with the same experiences that we have had… This school does not have a huge endowment. The endowment this school has is its alumni.”
Hinrichs is the Executive Chairman of Global Sources (NASDAQ: GSOL), Asia’s leading business-to-business media company focused on global trade. He founded the company in 1970 with the firm conviction that free and mutually beneficial trade between east and west would help drive global economic prosperity, and ultimately, world peace. Today, Global Sources’ network covers more than 60 cities worldwide and assists over 888,000 buyers in over 240 countries and territories.
Mr. Hinrichs received an honorary Doctor of International Law degree during Thunderbird’s graduation ceremony in April 2010, and has served on the Board of Trustees since 1991.
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