The transformation of
students takes a community to accomplish, and Joe and Sheila Joshi are two of
this community’s newest donors who are making The Power of Transformation campaign a success.
The Joshis, through the
Radha Devi Joshi Family Foundation, recently established an endowed scholarship
in the Coggin College of Business out of a desire to give back to their new
community in Jacksonville. Their gift to
the University totaled $76,000.
Joshi and his wife
recently moved to Jacksonville after he retired as president and chief
executive officer of Systematic Financial Management in Teaneck, N.J. He said he became familiar with the Jacksonville
area because Systematic had a sales office here.
“Sheila and I enjoyed the
weather and also wanted the opportunity to give back to the community,” he
said.
UNF in particular caught
Joshi’s attention. “The University and the Coggin College of Business in
particular are gaining national recognition,” he said. “It is a growing
institution which is attracting people who can make a difference.”
The scholarship was
established for any academic discipline within the Coggin College of Business. Joshi
has also volunteered there to offer students lessons from his years of experience
in the financial industry.
“Not only would I like to
meet the scholarship recipients, but I also would be interested in offering the
college my own knowledge from nearly 50 years of experience,” he said.
And experience is one
thing Joshi has in abundance. A native of India, he came to the United States
in 1967 at 21 seeking better opportunities. He already had bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from Agra University in India but continued his education here
by obtaining an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck,
N.J.
Joshi’s investment career
began with the Warner Lambert Company in 1972 as a senior internal auditor. Six
years later he became director of pension investments. In 1986, he joined State
House Capital Management where he served as managing director of equities. He
later accepted a position at Mitchell Hutchins before going to Systematic in
1996. He retired from that company in 2011.
Dr. Ajay Samant, dean of
the Coggin College of Business, met Joshi shortly after he relocated to
Jacksonville.
“I was immediately
impressed with Mr. Joshi’s breadth of experience and his willingness to give
back to his newly adopted community,” Samant said. “His dedication to giving
more young men and women an opportunity to obtain a quality business education
is greatly appreciated by UNF.”
The public phase of UNF’s
Power of Transformation campaign was
launched in October of 2009 with a goal of $110 million. As of this month,
nearly $105 million has been raised. It will officially end in December.
