Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang to be honored with honorary degree from the University of Hawai‘i

KAPOLEI, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi — The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) voted to approve the nomination of Jerry Yang for an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at its monthly meeting today. Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! Inc. and a generous supporter of higher education, will be awarded the degree at the UH Hilo Spring 2009 commencement ceremony.

A native of Taiwan who was raised in San Jose, Calif., and is a part-time resident of Hawaiʻi, Yang co-created the Yahoo! Internet navigational guide in April 1994 with David Filo and co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in April 1995. He served as chief executive officer of the company from June 2007 to January 2009 and was instrumental in building Yahoo! into one of the world‘s most highly trafficked websites and one of the world‘s most recognized brands.

"Jerry exemplifies the spirit we try to instill in our graduates to go out and make a difference in the world," said UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "He took an idea 15 years ago and turned it into a household name that‘s become a way of life. And through his generous support for higher education, he‘s making it possible for others to do likewise."

Since the company‘s founding, Yang has been a key member of the executive management team. His focus at Yahoo! Over the years has included corporate strategy, Yahoo!‘s technology vision, strategic business partnerships and international joint ventures, and recruiting talent.

In addition to serving on the Yahoo! Board of Directors, Yang currently serves on the board of directors of Cisco Systems, Yahoo! Japan, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., and is also on the Stanford University Board of Trustees. He holds bachelor‘s and master‘s degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and is currently on a leave of absence from Stanford‘s electrical engineering Ph.D. program.

In addition to being a global visionary, Yang is also an outstanding philanthropist. In 2007, he and his wife, Akiko Yamazaki, donated $75 million to Stanford University, $50 million of which was designated to support environmental research. His previous gifts to Stanford have funded scholarships, undergraduate education and other campus programs at the School of Engineering, the Asia Pacific Research Center, the Stanford Japan Center, and the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.