LEADERSHIP + INNOVATION CAMPAIGN

Originally from Minnesota and with a graduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Wayne E. VandeVere, PhD, dedicated his life to business students at Southern, serving for 40 years.

He and his wife Evie joined the Southern campus in 1956 and he was soon asked to chair the School of Business. He received the highest score of anyone testing for their CPA in the state of Tennessee and naturally found his niche in teaching accounting in addition to his administrative duties. 
 
In 1993, and through the passion of fellow business department colleague Bert Coolidge, ’65, the Wayne E. VandeVere Endowed Chair of Accounting was established with a goal of raising $1,000,000. Today, the fund is $175,000 shy of that goal. Help us complete this chair and honor Dr. VandeVere with a special plaque by the dean’s office in the new Ruth McKee School of Business.
 
Remember Wayne through this short video created by his son-in-law and current Southern professor, Stephen Ruf.

make a gift to the VandeVere Chair of Accounting

Bill Richards, PhD, doesn’t do anything in halves. Whether it is a Sabbath hike, programming accounting software, taking his family backpacking in Wyoming, or playing J.S. Bach on the organ, Richards gives 100%.

He brought that same drive to Southern when he and his wife, Evonne, came to campus in 1977. Like all great leaders, he led by example when pushing students to pursue excellence. Richards loved testing himself and obtained multiple certifications in his field, including the highest score in the nation on the CMA exam in 1980! And he expected the same dedication from his students. Richards was famous—at times infamous—for tough tests. Students spent all night studying and celebrated a B as a top score. 
 
At Southern, Richards' office was juxtaposed with computers and speakers so that accounting ratios and organ music could perform simultaneously. He pushed his students because he believed, and still believes, that excellence is one of the best ways to represent Christ as a business professional. And it worked. Once entering graduate school or starting their careers, his students look back with deep appreciation for the lessons that made them successful. Graduates of Richards’ classes have gone on to represent Christ as leaders of top-tier performing companies.
 
The standard of excellence that Bill Richards maintained at Southern in the 1970s and 1980s is the foundation on which today’s business students build. Join us in honoring Richards' legacy of excellence by helping name a classroom in his honor in the new Ruth McKee School of Business. 

make a gift to the Bill Richards Classroom

Each professor in the School of Business has made an eternal impact on the thousands of School of Business students who have graduated from Southern. Without these dedicated educators, our business alumni may not be leaving their own legacy for the kingdom of God in the professional circles they impact. CEOs, attorneys, accountants, entrepreneurs, and leadership professionals of all types trace their success and missional acumen to time spent in Southern business classes with professors who cared deeply and sacrificed for the future benefit of their students. 

Honor your favorite professors today with a special tribute gift listed in their honor in the new Ruth McKee School of Business.  

make a gift to honor your favorite professor