Rise Up Partners
Rise Up Partners help shape the Scholars as future leaders through mentorship, networking opportunities, exposure to industry expectations, corporate culture, and career possibilities.
Individuals, families, and companies seeking to make a direct difference for K-State business students can give here. Furthermore, a corporate partnership with Rise Up can support your talent acquisition goals.
Founding Partners
Mike and Angela Leikam provided the seed funding and lead gift to launch Rise Up. The investment supports the program and creates at least 10 scholarships for Rise Up Scholars. Mike graduated from K-State in 1987 with a degree in accounting and is the president and CEO of Centralized Supply Chain Services, LLC in Kansas City, Missouri.
A $1 million gift supports the College of Business Administration’s efforts building a new generation of leaders. The gift from Duane Webber and Dominika Korytek strengthens the Rise Up program.
“When I was in school, I wanted to be involved in everything. My fingers were in everything,” Webber said. “All those opportunities weren’t always available to everybody else for a number of reasons – who they were, where they were from, their background. I wasn’t smart enough to understand it at the time, but I felt it. My experience in college propelled an evolution in my thinking and what I would focus on…in terms of making sure the organizations I’m part of and support surround themselves with different ideas in order to arrive at the best solutions because of a diversity of perspectives.”
The couple made their gift in honor of Duane’s father Allen Webber and his grandfather Howard Webber. Son, father, and grandfather were all K-State graduates.
Corporate Partners
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Associate Partners
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Other Partners
Rise Up Partner Benefits
Partnership and engagement may look different for individuals and companies. The benefits below is not an exhaustive list. We look forward to discussing opportunities and benefits with you.
Depending on investment level, Rise Up Partners may qualify for the following benefits: