School of Business to honor three as distinguished alumni

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Business has honored three of its graduates with the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award: Wayne Boeckman, Doug Miller and Jim Schwartz.

Boeckman, Miller and Schwartz were recognized last week for their dedication to business excellence, community service and commitment to KU during a private reception at the Kansas Union.

Wayne Boeckman earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from KU in 1972. He is president and owner of both North Texas Metal Spinning LLC and American Mil Spec Services.

Boeckman is a member of the business school’s accounting and information systems advisory board and dean's advisory board, and he serves on the committee for Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas. He has served in various roles with Junior Achievement of Tarrant County and has served as chairman of the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Metal Spinning Division and PMA board.

Doug Miller received a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations from KU in 1966. After serving in the Army in Vietnam from 1968-69, he returned to KU and graduated with an MBA in 1971. He has held executive leadership positions at Continental Illinois Bank of Chicago, and in 1990 he formed International Private Equity Ltd.

Miller has been active in charitable work for more than 45 years. When the European Venture Philanthropy Association was founded in 2005, he was founding chairman, and in 2011 he launched and became founding chairman of the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network.

Jim Schwartz earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from KU in 1984. He is chairman, CEO and president of NPC International Inc., the world’s largest Pizza Hut franchisee.

He has served on the dean's advisory board and Freightquote.com’s board of directors. Schwartz is a director of the Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions Board and was inducted into the Pizza Hut Franchise Hall of Fame in 2004.

The School of Business established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 to honor outstanding graduates. To date, 54 alumni have been recognized with the award. Past recipients include investor David Booth, entrepreneur Philip Anschutz, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas president and CEO Robert Kaplan, Cerner Corp. co-founder Cliff Illig and Emprise Bank chairman Mike Michaelis.

Award recipients are chosen from the nominations of other alumni and the dean’s advisory board. Candidates are selected on the basis of their business success and service to their communities and to KU.