Ik-Whan G. Kwon, Ph.D. (GRAD PH ’90) Shares Why he Supports SLU
Ik-Whan “Ike” Kwon, Ph.D. (GRAD PH ’90), a professor emeritus of the Chaifetz School of Business, has made significant contributions to Saint Louis University for more than 50 years, not only through his scholarly work, expertise and leadership but also through his generous financial support. In 2018, he established the Dr. Ik-Whan Kwon Scholarship in Supply Chain and Operations Management to support a full-time undergraduate student pursuing a major or minor in supply chain or operations management.
Recently, he shared his thoughts on the importance of giving back to SLU.
Why is it important to you to support Saint Louis University?
As a recipient of a scholarship during my graduate programs at the University of Georgia, I feel fulfilled knowing that I may play a small part in helping someone at Saint Louis University who pursues the same dream I had many years ago.
How have you supported SLU in the past?
Saint Louis University has provided me with intellectual assets to expand my vision here at the University and beyond. As an engaged professor for more than 50 years, I still connect with many former students in this country as well as overseas, helping them as much as I can when they reach out to me for various reasons, such as letters of recommendation for their new positions and information about Saint Louis University life, especially when they know someone interested in applying to SLU. When I travel abroad, many graduates meet me at the airport, and we share our stories as if we were old friends. It has been a rewarding experience for me.
Why would you suggest others consider supporting Saint Louis University financially?
SLU is one of the best Jesuit universities in the country, with excellence in education and nurturing the whole person, not just in intellectual exercise but, more importantly, by making people on campus feel welcomed, engaged and encouraged to grow. SLU provides a space where students find intellectual impetus and are challenged to be well-rounded.
About Ik-Whan “Ike” Kwon, Ph.D. (GRAD PH ’90)
Born in Korea and orphaned as a teenager, Kwon first set foot in the United States at the age of 26. The year was 1963, a decade after the Korean War ended, and he was struggling to survive, he said. Two years prior, he had earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, hoping to further his education and improve his circumstances.
Thanks to a scholarship from Rotary International, he pursued his graduate studies at the University of Georgia in the U.S., obtaining his master’s degree in economics in 1964 and his doctorate in 1968, he said. That same year began his five-decade academic career at Saint Louis University.
Kwon taught economics, IT management and decision sciences at SLU’s Chaifetz School of Business from 1968 until his retirement in 2019. He has been instrumental in building the school’s academic and professional impact at the University and throughout the business sector, particularly in the supply-chain industry. In 1998, he founded SLU’s Center for Supply Chain Management Excellence, which currently ranks 13th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The center provides training and educational opportunities for industry professionals, and Kwon continues to be actively involved.
A lifelong learner, Kwon earned his second doctorate in health services research from SLU in 1990. He was honored as a Fulbright Scholar in 2001, which allowed him to return to Korea for the 2001-2002 academic year. Throughout his career, Kwon has published more than 100 scholarly research papers and has been invited to lecture at prestigious universities, including the University of Bordeaux in France, Fudan University in China, Thammasat University in Thailand, Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Sejong City, South Korea.
Kwon said that he considers both Saint Louis University and St. Louis home, having spent over 60 years in the Gateway City, where he and his wife, Jacqueline Frasca Kwon (DCHS ’77), raised their family. In addition to his continued involvement with SLU’s Center for Supply Chain Management Excellence, Kwon is an active member of the Rotary Club of Clayton-Ladue and the Missouri Manufacturing Association (MAM). From 2023 to 2024, he served as chair of the Missouri Enterprise Board of Directors, he said. Kwon’s noted accomplishments also include authoring a published memoir in 2023, with a sequel expected in 2026.
Learn more about how you can help support Saint Louis University.