Seven years ago, Richard Liu became the largest single donor to UTSA by donating $1 million to the College of Business through the creation of the Liu's Family Foundation Fund U.S.-China Business Education Initiative. In 2003, he surpassed that record with a $2 million gift, a tremendous impact to the university's international business programs and its five partner universities in China. Since its inception, the U.S.-China Business Education Initiative has supported the exchange of more than 100 students and scholars.
While Liu's family stems from mainland China, he was born in Taiwan. He earned his bachelor's degree from the Department of Business Administration of National Taiwan University, and, unable to afford graduate study abroad, he immediately launched his business career. Notably, it began in 1974 in Texas with Tandy Brands, a leather-products company.
"From the first, I found Texans to be friendly and welcoming," Liu said. From his initial endeavors in Texas, Liu went on to build a thriving business empire. He set up his own plant in Guangzhou and has established his own successful company in Hong Kong. He is the chairman of Superior Holdings Limited, a conglomerate with business endeavors all over the world.
In 1998, nearly 25 years after he arrived in Texas, Liu wanted to show his appreciation. And he did so with largesse at UTSA. "I want my gift to help a new generation of business students in the United States and China realize their dreams," he said.
An able poet, Liu has become a patron of arts and literature, supporting the First and Second Global Youth Chinese Literary Award for the New Century, sponsored by the Faculty of Arts of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also contributes time and talents to the Tianjin Cultural Festival in Belgium. He established the Liu Ranyuan Foundation, named for his late father, and the Liu's Sino-European Foundation for Culture and Education in Belgium.
He has funded scholarships in the foreign languages department of Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan and donated to the University of California at Berkeley for Chinese student exchange in the fields of public administration, law, political science, economics and international trade. A member of UTSA's College of Business Advisory Council, he also serves on the board of trustees of New Asia College and the board of the University of California at Berkeley Foundation.
The University community is honored to present the Tom C. Frost Award to Mr. Richard S. Liu