KNOXVILLE — Alumnus Allen Bell has established the Julia Bell Accounting Excellence Endowment at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Business Administration in honor of his mother.
“I hope that this endowment will help others have the same opportunities that my mother provided for me,” Bell said. “She would be very proud to know that she had a permanent legacy in her name at an institution for which she cared about so deeply.”
Bell’s gift, which benefits the college’s Department of Accounting and Information Management, is part of the Campaign for Tennessee, UT’s $1 billion fundraising effort.
Bell graduated in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He currently is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas and is the partner-in-charge of the firm’s North Texas Private Company Services practice.
“The University of Tennessee has been very important to my family. My grandmother, father and brother also received degrees from the Knoxville campus, “Bell said. “While my mother did not attend UT, she was one of the biggest Volunteer fans in the state. Because of her efforts and sacrifices, I was able to graduate from this great university.”
“I take great pride in being a graduate of UT’s College of Business Administration,” he said. “The quality of my education provided the foundation for the successes I have achieved.”
The fund’s proceeds will be allocated each year by the head of the Department of Accounting and Information Management to fulfill the department’s mission, such as funding faculty teaching and research awards, scholarships and teaching assistantships, and technology purchases, as well as supporting visiting faculty scholars and lecturers.
The Campaign for Tennessee is the most ambitious effort in the university’s 214-year history and places UT among the ranks of the nation’s largest public and private institutions that have sought this level of private support.
The campaign, which launched its silent phase in 2005, will secure private gifts that, in turn, will contribute substantially to the distinct, but linked, campuses in the UT system. Funds raised through the campaign will directly support the objectives of UT’s strategic plan. Among those objectives are improved student access and success, research and economic development, outreach and globalization.
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C O N T A C T:
Meredith Hulette (865-974-7392, mhulette@utk.edu)