Pat Tillman Foundation and ASU Form Partnership for Leadership Through Action™

San Jose, CA (July 28, 2005) - The Pat Tillman Foundation announced today that it will partner with Tillman's alma mater, Arizona State University, to create a Leadership Through Action™ program at the university's W.P. Carey School of Business.

The two-semester program is a major component of the foundation's mission of creating responsible, ethical, action-oriented leaders, said foundation executive director Alex Garwood, who is also Tillman's brother-in-law. Starting this fall semester, the foundation-ASU partnership will expand an existing leadership class offered at the Tempe, Ariz., campus. Foundation involvement includes recruiting community and business leaders to serve as guest lecturers and mentors, and providing financial support such as seed money for students to help turn community-oriented project ideas into reality.

Students will participate in a collaborative setting with faculty and invited leaders to study leadership techniques, develop leadership skills and apply their learning to create projects that will benefit their selected communities.

Once Leadership Through Action™ is established at ASU, the foundation will host a Leadership Conference that will share the program details with other leaders from across the country. The foundation and ASU will work together to endow the program so it can continue in perpetuity. Also, the partnership will support outstanding faculty members through the creation of Pat Tillman Professorships.

"The program feels like Pat," said Garwood. "He was never arrogant enough to tell a person what to do, but he would talk things out with you and help you find the right path on your own."

Robert Mittelstaedt, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business, said the Pat Tillman Foundation gift will help the school earn recognition for creating leaders.

"Pat Tillman was an action-oriented leader who set high standards for himself and the organizations of which he was a part," Mittelstaedt said. "We are excited about this program in his memory because positive leadership through action and example is one of the enduring needs of business and society. The young people in this program will refine and enhance their leadership skills in ways that will benefit them and our broader society for decades into the future."

A selection committee of ASU and foundation staff members will interview prospective students and then select 12 to 15 for the initial class. Future plans include an annual conference to examine the public-service programs implemented as a result of the Leadership Through Action™ program and discuss the successes and challenges each program experiences.

The definition of a college student-athlete, Tillman earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from ASU in 1997, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.84 grade point average. He was the 1997 Pac-10 defensive player of the year for the Sun Devils football team.

He later captured the nation's respect by walking away from a lucrative pro football career with the NFL Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2001. Tillman was killed during a combat mission in Afghanistan in April 2004.

About the Pat Tillman Foundation
The Tillman family created the Pat Tillman Foundation following his death in April 2004. The foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, is determined to carry Pat's legacy forward by inspiring people to make positive changes in themselves and in the world around them. To learn more about the foundation, visit its Web site at www.pattillmanfoundation.org.

About W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University
W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is one of the largest business schools in the United States with more than 150 faculty, 1,000 graduate and 2,600 upper-division undergraduate students. The school is internationally recognized for its leadership in supply chain management and services marketing and highly regarded for its faculty's research productivity. The L. William Seidman Research Institute focuses on applied research in economics, leveraging the research capabilities of the school's faculty. The school is ranked 25th nationally for its undergraduate programs and 29th for the W. P. Carey MBA.

Contact:
Justin Schmid
Gordon C. James Public Relations
(602) 274-1988