The founding family of an Ohio chemical company has made another major gift to the Farmer School of Business to help strengthen and grow its connection to South Korea.

The fund, established by Tedia High Quality Solvents founder Elinora Bo Hyun Park and her late husband Moon Su “Richard” Park, is designed to:

• Support scholarships for South Korean students to come to Miami
• Support scholarships for Miami students to study abroad in South Korea
• Support marketing efforts to raise awareness of the program
• Support a faculty exchange between the Farmer School and Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea

“Teaching at Yonsei University Mirae Campus through the Miami University/Yonsei University faculty exchange program gave me and my family an excellent opportunity to teach in, live in, and experience another culture. The faculty and staff at Yonsei and the people of South Korea were warm and gracious hosts that opened our understanding of how wonderful South Korea is,” Matt Wieland, FSB associate professor of accountancy, said. “I hope that many students and faculty are able to broaden their horizons and experience South Korea through this gift.”

The Parks immigrated to America in the 1960s and started Tedia in 1975. Elinora oversaw purchasing, logistics, operations, and accounting, while Moon oversaw production and quality. After Moon’s passing in 1989, Elinora took over as President. She continued to be responsible for all aspects of purchasing, logistics, and accounting until she retired from Tedia in 2006.

Jenny Darroch, dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership remarked, “The Farmer School’s focus on providing students with a global perspective and the tremendous support of our business partners in making that experience attainable for our students are key in ensuring that our graduates are positioned to succeed. The Park family’s vision and unwavering commitment to the school have benefitted both our students and faculty, and I could not be more thankful to them.”

The Park family previously created the Richard Moon Su Park and Elinora Bo Hyun Park Korea Scholarship with a gift in 2009. “The scholarship has supported many Miami University students who wanted to experience Korea and Korean university students who came to study at Miami over the years,” Hannah Lee, associate professor of marketing and Director of the Higgin Kim Asia Business Program at FSB, said. “The Park family believes that the broadening of global perspectives is crucial for students and faculty alike in a challenging global environment. We hope, through the Park Family gift, to provide FSB students and faculty with more opportunities and support in creating their own pioneer stories.”