Steven F. Udvar-Hazy to speak at Personal Finance Day
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy to speak at Personal Finance Day
Sponsored by the Dixie State University Finance and Accounting clubs, the Third Annual Personal Finance Day will feature Steven F. Udvar-Hazy as the event’s keynote speaker and include discussions on financial literacy.
The conference is set to take place from 3 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the atrium of the Ernö and Etel Udvar-Hazy School of Business on the Dixie State campus. The community is encouraged to attend and entrance to the event is open and free.
In addition to Udvar-Hazy’s address, the event will include a student panel on how to begin investing and a discussion on the new tax law led by a representative from Hinton Burdick CPAs & Advisors.
Credited with creating the airplane leasing industry, Udvar-Hazy is the chairman and CEO of Air Lease Corporation, which went public in 2011. Prior to his current role, Udvar-Hazy started a California-based airline that struggled, and from this experience learned the need for a completely new industry in airline leasing. He went on to form Interlease Group, Inc., which was sold to AIG in 1990.
Udvar-Hazy currently serves on the Board of Directors of SkyWest Airlines as well as boards for several foundations, educational institutions and corporations. He received an honorary doctorate from then-Dixie College in 1990, when he addressed the graduating class as the commencement speaker. He is included on the Forbes 400 in addition to being named one of the top 20 immigrants on the list. Udvar-Hazy was born in Budapest, Hungary, and lived there until 1958, when he escaped with his family to Stockholm, Sweden, after the Hungarian uprising and subsequent Soviet occupation. In July 1958, he emigrated with his family to the United States, where they eventually settled in California.
Dixie State’s Ernö and Etel Udvar-Hazy School of Business is named after his parents, and 22 years after being built continues to serve over 1,200 business majors and students in other programs. The building is a tribute to the foresight and generosity of the Udvar-Hazy family. During the construction of the Udvar-Hazy business building, his wife, Chris, took an active role in raising funds to beautify and complete the building. The artwork, open atrium and water feature are part of the building today because of her.
Additionally, the Smithsonian U.S. National Air and Space Museum at Washington Dulles International Airport was built due to the generosity of the Udvar-Hazy family and is named the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center annex.
Dixie State’s Accounting & Finance Department is housed within the university’s College of Business & Communication. The college offers certificates in general marketing and eMarketing; associate degrees in general marketing, business, and operations management; bachelor’s degrees in accounting, finance, and business administration with emphases in accounting, finance and management information systems; and the newly approved Master of Accountancy.
Accomplished faculty who teach accounting concepts in context of their application lead the Accounting & Finance Department. Students gain applied, heuristic learning experiences in highly interactive, student-oriented learning environments. For example, as part of the IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, students offer community members free income-tax preparation each February through April. Additionally, DSU’s Accounting Practicum provides graduates the opportunity to assist small businesses.
For more information on Dixie State University’s College of Business & Communication, visit academics.utahtech.edu/business-and-communication.
