A 1965 West Virginia University graduate and managing general partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, Ken Kendrick and his wife Randy, have contributed $700,000 to WVU ’s College of Business and Economics and Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Of the gift, which was made to the WVU Foundation, $500,000 will establish a program in B&E focused on free-market research. The other $200,000 will aid in the construction of Athletics’Donald J. Brohard Hall of Traditions.

Randy and I are delighted to support WVU in establishing a program focused on free-market economics which will hopefully encourage students to become entrepreneurs,said Kendrick, who earned a degree in business administration.We also are very proud to be able to honor our friend Don Brohard, a fervent supporter of Mountaineer football, in this manner.

The Ken and Randy Kendrick Fund for Free Market Research and Entrepreneurship Policy will create a program that examines ways entrepreneurship is encouraged through lower taxes, reduced regulation, secure private property rights and personal responsibility.

There is much interest in fostering entrepreneurship,said B&E Dean Steven Sears.However, existing programs and research that influence policy debate often propose bigger government and new government programs. Largely missing from this discussion are free-market approaches. The Kendricks’gift will make possible research that can add substantially to the debate.

The gift will fund publication of academic research into the shortcomings of government action and the benefits of free-market institutions in promoting entrepreneurship and economic growth, Sears said. It also will help disseminate research findings at academic conferences and applied policy symposiathrough articles in policy-related journals and other outreach efforts that expose free-market ideas to policy makers and those involved in economic development efforts.

The Donald J. Brohard Hall of Traditions will be located within the Milan Puskar Center overlooking Mountaineer Field. The hall, Athletic Director Ed Pastilong said, will honor Brohard in perpetuity, providing a first-class showcase for the over 100 year history of WVU football, serve as a recruiting focal point, and attract thousands of visitors a year to the facility on game days and non-game days alike.

It will serve as a point of inspiration for current players and a place of remembrance for fans of all ages,Pastilong said.

Kendrick and Brohard grew up as childhood friends in Princeton , W.Va. Although not a WVU graduate, Mr. Brohard was a staunch Mountaineer football fan. He urged Kendrick, who had not been back to campus for more than 25 years, to reconnect with WVU and its sports programs.

Kendrick became involved with the University and was inducted into the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni in February 2005.

He also serves on the WVU Foundation Board of Directors. The WVU Foundation is a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for West Virginia University .

Kendrick became part owner of the Diamondbacks in 1995 and its managing general partner in 2004. After graduating from WVU , he started his career with IBM in Baltimore , Md. Three years later, he founded Datatel Inc., which has become the industry leader in the development of software for the management of infrastructure technology for colleges and universities.

Today, Kendrick serves as Datatel’s chairman, and also as president of the Datatel Scholars Foundation, which provides college scholarships to students throughout the United States and Canada . As Datatel continued to grow and prosper, Kendrick stepped down from the daily oversight of the organization to explore new business opportunities.

He served as president of a Texas-based banking technology company for four years in the 1980s until it was purchased by a subsidiary of General Motors. In 1989 Kendrick invested in a community bank in Woodlands, Texas . Woodforest National Bank now has more than $1.7 billion in assets and is one of the largest employee-owned banks in the United States .

Kendrick owns the Bumble Bee Ranch, which includes more than 74,000 acres for horseback riding, cattle driving, off-road and helicopter tours, overnight facilities and team-building activities for companies. The ranch also serves numerous children’s charities. In addition, he supports many community ventures in Arizona , including the Dodge Theater in Phoenix , a state-of-the-art entertainment venue.

The Kendricks reside in Paradise Valley , Ariz.