Scholarships

Linda Oubre, Dean of the College of Business at San Francisco State University, her husband, Nathaniel, and sons Nathan and Alex, established the Ernest C. Dillard Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund. The Fund will be used for the benefit of students in the Labor Studies Department of the College of Business at San Francisco State University. The fund was established in recognition of Dean Oubre’s grandfather, Ernest C. Dillard Senior, in celebration of his 100th birthday and significant contributions to society.

Mr. Dillard was an unsung hero and historic figure in the civil rights and labor movements. Before the spotlight shined on civil rights leaders, Mr. Dillard fought relentlessly in his pursuit of improving the rights of workers with diverse backgrounds without recognition. A trailblazer, he was ahead of his time in fighting for the rights of all people.

Born the fourth of seven children of an impoverished family in Montgomery, Alabama in January 1915, Ernie Dillard had to quit school in the sixth grade to help take care of the family when his father died. After working for a number of years as a driver for a wealthy family, Dillard met Jessie Mae Dawson. They were married Christmas night, 1934; they had two children; Marilyn and Ernest, Jr.

Dillard moved to Detroit in 1937, got a job at the Gotham Hotel, and eleven months later was able to send for his wife and children. In 1942 he was hired as an ARC Welder at GM Fisher Body Fleetwood Plant. He became a UAW activist and was also a leader in the successful NAACP sit-in effort in the 1940’s to integrate downtown Detroit restaurants that refused to serve Blacks. At the time, Dillard was a member of the Board of Directors of the Detroit branch of the NAACP.

After holding numerous elected and appointed positions in UAW Local 15, including plant shop chairman and editor of the Local’s newspaper, Dillard served as Educational Director of the trade Union Leadership Council (TULC) and Editor of its official publication, The Vanguard. Additionally, Ernie served on the UAW’s GM Department Umpire Staff, Citizenship Department Representative, Assistant Director of the Education Department, and was Assistant Director of the UAW National Community Action Program Department when he retired in 1980.

Upon his retirement, Dillard served as Instructor in leadership development training classes for the Detroit Association of Black Organizations (DABO) and the UAW Educational Department; President of the Michigan A. Philip Randolph Institute (a voter education program); Head of DemPEC (Democratic Political Education Committee) of the 13th Congressional District; and as the Executive Vice Chairman of the 13th Congressional District.

A voracious reader and prolific writer, many of Dillard’s articles, commentary and letters have been published in the news and commercial media. Mr. Dillard’s wife, Jessie Mae, passed away in October 1990 from breast cancer. Mr. Dillard passed away in July 2016 at the age of 101 ½. He is survived by his two children, Marilyn and Ernest Jr., and his numerous grandchildren, including Dean Oubre, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. In his last years, Mr. Dillard’s greatest pride was that although he and his wife did not have the opportunity to complete formal university education, his children, grandchildren, and great-children include numerous college graduates from institutions such as UCLA, CSU Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, NYU, Michigan State, San Jose State, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard. One of his great-grandchildren is currently a student in the College of Business at San Francisco State.

The Ernest C. Dillard Sr. Endowed Scholarship in Labor Studies will signify and present an opportunity for students to build upon a legacy of monumental contributions to society that will improve the lives of workers for generations to come.

Mitsuko Saito Duerr Endowed Scholarship

Dr. Mitsuko Saito Duerr has been a pioneer in promoting cross-cultural understanding and in improving Japanese- American relations in education, business and society for over 50 years.

In the educational realm, Dr. Duerr developed courses on comparative management and has taught at universities in The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Japan and the United States. She also arranged exchange programs between San Francisco State University and Japanese universities.

Dr. Duerr provided an endowment fund that gives some financial assistance to San Francisco State University students going to study in Japan. These increased educational opportunities were complemented by extensive research studies and articles with a focus on Japan-related topics.

In addition, Dr. Duerr has served as a grant proposal reviewer for the Japan Foundation, member of the screening committee for the Fulbright Exchange Teacher and Scholars Program, member of the selection team for the Government of Japan’s JET Program, and, for a number of years, as chair of the Asian/Pacific Affairs Study Section of The Commonwealth Club of California.

The business world benefitted from Dr. Duerr’s numerous seminars on U.S.-Japan comparative cultures and business relations. These were held throughout the United States and Japan, often co-sponsored by well-known organizations. Additionally, a number of organizations benefitted from Dr. Duerr’s training programs for business employees and executives. Again, these were presented both domestically and internationally.

Always very active in the non-profit sphere, Mitsuko Duerr was a long time board member, as well as a past president of Satsuki-kai, Inc. In that organization, she was instrumental in expanding its scope and reach. Its original purpose had been only to assist the wives of Japanese businessmen who were temporarily assigned to working in the United States. As president of Satsuki-kai, she opened the organization to allow the inclusion of men as well as women, and to open it to individuals of all ethnicities, religious and political views. She additionally had the organization sponsor special events for the elderly, the general community, and those with special needs. Also added was a fundraising aspect to support charitable giving.

Dr. Duerr was also a long-time member of Japan Society, Northern California Board, including serving as Secretary, Vice President and chair of numerous committees.

Dr. Duerr founded the U.S.- Japan Institute, College of Business, San Francisco State University in 1980 and was its director for nearly two decades. In recognition of this and her contributions as President of Satsuki-kai, Dr. Duerr was awarded a Commendation by the Consul General of Japan. Unfortunately, the U.S.- Japan Institute had to be closed when Dr. Duerr retired and no individual combining both the necessary teaching and administrative capabilities was found.

In her honor, San Francisco State University established a Mitsuko Saito Duerr Endowed Scholarship, providing financial assistance to San Francisco State University business students for studies in Japan.

If you are interested in giving to the Lam Family College of Business, please visit the University Development website.

Jeff Franco’s Journey: From Unprepared Undergrad to Advocate for Diversity in Accounting

Author: Gail Mallimson, SF State Development

Jeff Franco (B.S., ’83) remembers his years as an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University as some of the best in his life. He grew up in Daly City and followed in his older brother’s footsteps to SF State. Jeff’s brother was an education major, and the two would be the first generation in their family to receive college degrees. 

In his freshman year, Jeff took a series of core introductory classes to determine what his educational and career paths would be. He enrolled in an accounting class, and it was there that he found that he had a natural aptitude for it. Seeing this, his professor Tony DiFrancesco suggested that Jeff major in accounting, which he did. Eventually, Jeff joined the SF State chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an honorary professional community for financial information students and professionals. Jeff remembers making a lot of friends at Beta Alpha Psi and having the opportunity to meet accounting professionals through career-building activities and professional visits. 

After graduation, Jeff was hired by the accounting firm Ernst & Whinney, which eventually became Ernst & Young. He spent most of his professional career there until retiring in 2018. For many years, Jeff was the lead recruiter for the tax department of the San Francisco office of Ernst & Young, interviewing as many as 50 applicants each year. While Ernst & Young believed that the demographics of the firm should mirror the demographics of the community it served, Jeff noticed a lack of diversity among the applicants he interviewed. 

In response, Jeff visited several college campuses, where he observed that many accounting programs did not seem to attract large numbers of students from underrepresented communities. This fact surprised him, as he viewed a career in accounting to be personally and financially fulfilling.

When he retired, Jeff was determined to do something about this lack of representation. Knowing that SF State prioritizes inclusion, he increased his giving to the University’s Lam Family College of Business accounting department. He also began to volunteer in high schools, introducing students to the accounting field and work. When Dr. Amy Chang, the then-head of the SF State accounting department, asked him to join an advisory board to help with the continuing evolution of the department, he jumped at the opportunity. 

After meeting and speaking with Professor Theresa Hammond, Director of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiative (DEIB) in the college, Jeff became inspired to deepen his support of SF State students. He decided to establish and fund the Franco Family Accounting Scholarship, a scholarship specifically for economically disadvantaged accounting students at SF State who have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing diversity. Jeff’s former employer Ernst & Young matched his initial donation through the Ernst & Young Foundation, allowing the Franco Family Fund to award three accounting students $5,000 in its initial year, with a goal of supporting many more in the future.

One of the first awardees, Andrea Alvarado, is a first-generation college student (like Jeff was). Andrea is extremely proud of being awarded the Franco Family Scholarship, and grateful for the needed financial support. While she volunteers in an accounting program in high schools with Dr. Theresa Hammond, her need to work part-time while attending school has precluded her from participating in more career-focused organizations like Beta Alpha Psi, the club that Jeff feels contributed to his career-readiness and engagement as a student at SF State. “I don’t get the opportunity to pursue more career-focused activities such as unpaid on-campus organizations,” says Andrea. “Now I have the opportunity because of the Franco Family Accounting Scholarship.”

For Jeff, supporting accounting students at SF State has been a truly rewarding experience. “I just want to make sure other students have that same opportunity that I did,” says Jeff. “I've been blessed in my life, and I want to help other people to be successful as well.”

If you are interested in giving to the Lam Family College of Business, please visit the University Development website.