Martin Alvarez, president of the Sun Eagle Corporation, was appointed this week as the first Wells Fargo honorary scholar in Hispanic business.
The appointment was made possible by an endowment through the Wells Fargo banking company, and each year a new appointment will be made.
Alvarez, an ASU alumnus, said his appointment is a great honor.
The duties of the honorary scholar include helping to develop and teach a new course in Hispanic business at ASU, and mentoring students at the Center for the Advancement of Small Business and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.
"I'm very excited and it will be a pleasure to do this," Alvarez said.
This fall, Alvarez will teach a course offered by the College of Business called Arizona Hispanic Business.
He said the course is the first of its kind and it will integrate the teachings of Hispanic history, going back as far as the 1960s, including people who were instrumental to starting key firms.
"We're going to try and study this from a historical business perspective, why they succeeded, how did they succeed and what is their plan for success in the future," Alvarez said.
Prior to founding the Chandler-based Sun Eagle Corporation, a construction management and general contracting business, in 1978, Alvarez graduated from ASU in 1972 with a degree in business management.
Alvarez's corporation has served as general contractor on projects valued at $300 million.
His leadership in the business community as well as the Hispanic business community earned Alvarez the ASU College of Business Arizona Business Leadership Award in 1996.
Cordelia Candelaria, chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department and co-chair of the Wells Fargo Honorary Scholar Committee, said Alvarez's willingness to give back to the community helped contribute to his appointment.
"He has a strong concern for education and we were very impressed with his volunteer work," Candelaria said. "Marty also has a strong knowledge of Arizona history and heritage and because he's a Hispanic, he sees the challenges and understands how to meet those challenges."
Reach the reporter at tony.ku@asu.edu.
