MOBI Founders Receive Congressional Recognition
SANTA CLARA, Calif. January 22, 2017—The lifelong contributions of Phil and Peggy Holland, generous donors to the Leavey School of Business and to the field of entrepreneurship education, will be honored today as the couple will be awarded a Congressional Commendation from the office of Congress member Ro Khanna. The commendation notes the work of the Hollands to offer education and opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs all over the world. The commendation was made posthumously to Peggy Holland, who passed away in October 2017. Phil Holland is an author, teacher, entrepreneur, and founder of the Yum Yum chain of doughnut shops.
In 2014, the Hollands endowed the My Own Business Institute (MOBI) at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. The mission of the Institute is to start businesses that create jobs for people who need them the most. Their work has had a significant impact on people across the globe, with MOBI students starting nearly 500 businesses in North America, Africa, and Asia last year. Nearly 1000 students in over 70 countries complete MOBI’s free online courses every year.
“Because of the Hollands, Santa Clara University is a leader in offering free online business courses to people who want to start businesses all over the world,” said Drew Starbird, executive director of the My Own Business Institute. “The impact of their legacy is amazing. Businesses from quail farms to funeral homes to trucking companies are now employing people in Africa, Asia and the U.S. thanks to lessons learned from MOBI.”
A celebration in the Holland’s honor will be held at Santa Clara University during a meeting of the MOBI Advisory Board.
Learn more about MOBI at www.scu.edu/mobi.
About Leavey School of Business
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the most dynamic business environments in the world, the Leavey School of Business combines academic excellence in the 450-year Jesuit tradition, with an energetic, innovative spirit that typifies the region. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business/.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse| SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121