As the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business hosts its annual Business Week, the College welcomed to campus today alumnus Rick Sontag, who brought a special gift to the University and its students – a $1 million check.

The gift will establish an endowment in the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation with the goal of presenting an annual Sontag Entrepreneurship Award of about $50,000 to a student or group of students who demonstrate an ability and intention to start or expand a business.

Sontag, who earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at Harvey Mudd College in 1964 and then his master’s degree in physics from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1966, presented the check to College of Business Dean Greg Mosier and Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations John Carothers after addressing students this afternoon at the University’s Joe Crowley Student Union Theatre. Sontag shared with the students that while at Nevada, he had an epiphany that he was “more interested in the administration and management of science than actually doing the sciences,” so he decided to get his MBA.

“It’s easy to get channeled into a certain direction because people see you are good at it, but I think in the end, you have to follow your heart and your intuition,” he said. “You have these inner voices telling you what you ought to be doing and you need to listen to them.”

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