May 12, 2006

Stardust benefactor Bisgrove earns President’s Medal of Excellence

By Leah Hardesty

There are those who talk about a vision, and then there are those who act on a vision. Jerry Bisgrove, chairman and chief executive officer of Stardust Cos., was honored May 10 with ASU's first-ever President's Medal of Excellence for acting on his vision through an unwavering commitment to social and economic development in Arizona.

The ASU President's Medal of Excellence, granted and awarded by ASU President Michael Crow, honors innovative leaders who have advanced awareness and action on issues that affect the well-being and positive development of their communities. With Bisgrove's efforts in creating more affordable housing for low-income families, as well as improving the management and leadership of nonprofit agencies in the Valley, he is the ideal candidate for this inaugural award.

Bisgrove has spent a lifetime in philanthropy serving on several charitable boards, including the Arizona Community Foundation, Translational Genomics Research Institute Foundation and the Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. He also is a founding board member of the Science Foundation Arizona and established the Stardust Charitable Group, the fundraising arm of Stardust Cos.

“Jerry's leadership reflects the spirit of ASU and its commitment to the communities it serves,” Crow says. “He inspires others to make a positive impact, and we appreciate his continued support of the university as we take on issues of social and economic transformation.”

Dedicating his work and investments to making Arizona a better place, Bisgrove funded ASU's efforts to establish the Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family, and his support has been instrumental to the success of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management.

Through research, educational outreach, advocacy and design innovation, the Stardust Center supports organizations, neighborhoods and professionals in their efforts to improve the growth of affordable homes and sustainable communities.

One of the most notable projects among the Stardust Center 's portfolio is the design and construction of an experimental green home for a Navajo family. Bisgrove's investment in the center provided the expertise and funding needed to build the Nageezi home, which reflects Navajo cultural traditions and uses affordable, energy- conserving techniques and materials.

The family residing in the Nageezi home has seen an 80 percent reduction in energy costs in the past year, and the Navajo Housing Authority is building 35 more of these prototype homes on reservation grounds in New Mexico.

Following the same model, the Stardust Center is building an affordable and sustainable home for a family in Guadalupe, one of the poorest communities in metropolitan Phoenix.

In addition to his passion for developing affordable housing, Bisgrove believes in strengthening the leadership and management of Arizona 's nonprofit organizations to create community programs that serve Arizona 's most vulnerable populations. The ASU Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management exists to advance nonprofit leadership practices and help organizations better achieve their goals in delivering essential human services to the community.

Specifically, Bisgrove's support of the center led to the creation of the Stardust Fellowship Program, which allows undergraduate students to develop leadership skills tailored to managing nonprofits.

Since its inception two years ago, 28 students from across the country have participated in the fellowship program and returned to their university campus as a Stardust Fellow, serving as a liaison between students and nonprofit organizations in their communities.

The center also established the Stardust Student Philanthropy Fund as a two-year pilot project geared toward teaching students about applying and receiving grants, one of the most fundamental aspects of managing a nonprofit.

Hardesty, with Media Relations, can be reached at (480) 727-3116 or (leah.hardesty@asu.edu).