The West Virginia University Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2012 Outstanding Philanthropy awards.

The awards, first presented in 2005, were established to honor donors who display exceptional generosity, commitment, leadership and proven records of outstanding civic and charitable devotion to West Virginia University.

This year’s recipients are: Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins, Milan Puskar Outstanding Philanthropists; Bob Huggins, Outstanding Volunteer Philanthropist; Jeanne G. and Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. Family Foundation, Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation; and Siemens PLM Software, Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation.

“We salute our honorees for their willingness to give to our University in so many ways from financial and in-kind support, to time, effort and expertise,” said Wayne King, president and CEO of the WVU Foundation. “WVU is a better place as a result of their caring and commitment.”

Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins

Stuart and Joyce Robbins are being honored for their history of generosity and leadership at WVU. The couple has provided the University with support in many ways over the years.

In May 2011, Mr. and Mrs. Robbins announced a $3 million commitment to WVU to establish the Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Center for Global Business and Strategy 20/21 within the College of Business and Economics, and the Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Distinguished Professorship in Epidemiology, the first endowed position within the emerging School of Public Health. The professorship was eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match from the West Virginia Research Trust Fund, making the total impact of the Robbins’ most recent commitment $4 million.

Mr. Robbins, a 1965 graduate of WVU, is the former managing director of global equities for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, one of Wall Street’s leading investment banks. He is a former chairman of the WVU Foundation Board of Directors and has served on advisory boards for the College of Business and Economics and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. He is a founding member of the Mountaineer Athletic Club Development Council. Mr. Robbins is a member of the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and Order of Vandalia. He recently received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from WVU.

Mrs. Robbins is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh and Pace University. She taught in the Pittsburgh school system before earning her MBA. A certified public accountant, her career included working with Coopers & Lybrand, one of the leading accounting firms, and Data Switch, a New England-based provider of specialty technology.

The Robbins are members of the Woodburn Circle Society, the Foundation’s highest level of giving.

Bob Huggins

WVU men’s head basketball coach Bob Huggins is being honored for his commitment and generosity to the University.

Mr. Huggins has not only led his alma mater to an unprecedented level of sustained success on the court, but has used his stature and notoriety to raise awareness and funds for causes off the court and close to his heart.

Foremost among these causes has been the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment, established in memory of the coach’s mother who died of cancer. Through various fundraising efforts, he has mobilized an incredible number of donors around the state and nation in support of cancer research at WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. The endowment has quickly grown to more than $600,000 with no indication of slowing down.

Huggins is a two-time Academic All-American, and graduated from the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, magna cum laude, in 1977. He received his master’s degree in health administration from WVU in 1978. Huggins was a three-year letterman for the Mountaineers from 1975-1977. He is also a member of the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Hall of Fame.

Jeanne G. & Lawson W. Hamilton, Jr. Family Foundation

Since being established in 2005 by the late West Virginia businessman and philanthropist Lawson W. Hamilton, Jr. and his wife, Jeanne, the Hamilton Family Foundation has had a significant impact on WVU and the state of West Virginia.

Mr. Hamilton was a tireless supporter of educational and community organizations throughout the state from the time he began his line of successful coal businesses in the mid-1940s until his death in 2007. Prior to establishing the foundation, he made significant gifts to the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, and also made gifts supporting the Statler College of Engineering & Mineral Resources and WVU Athletics.

The Hamilton Family Foundation, administered by Jeanne Hamilton and her son, Lawson W. Hamilton, III, has continued Mr. Hamilton’s legacy of support, with gifts supporting the Cancer Center, WVU Children’s Hospital, the School of Medicine and the WVU Eye Institute.

In addition to WVU, the Hamilton Family Foundation has supported a wide range of West Virginia charities, including the Carnegie Hall of Lewisburg, Appalachian Leadership Education Foundation, Greenbrier Historical Society, West Virginia Independent Colleges & Universities and the Greenbrier Humane Society. The foundation also has supported the University of Virginia Health Foundation and the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Siemens PLM Software
Siemens is being honored for its commitment to the education of WVU students and researchers.

Recently, WVU received an in-kind grant from Siemens with a commercial value of $425 million, through the company’s Global Opportunities in Product Lifecycle Management program. The range of software provided includes applications that are widely used by many multi-national companies in industries around the globe and will be incorporated into the curricula of two academic departments within the Statler College of Engineering & Mineral Resources.

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management software and services. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products.

In Siemens’ target markets, 68 percent of the Global 500 use Siemens PLM Software technology; and among Fortune 100 companies, half are using Siemens PLM Software. Among the leaders in the automotive, aerospace, machinery and high tech industries, the use of Siemens PLM Software technology approaches 80 percent.

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mc/bn/05/29/12

CONTACT: Bill Nevin, WVU Foundation
304-284-4056; WNevin@wvuf.org

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