Office of University Communications 

Missouri State announces new endowments totaling more than $500,000

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Five new endowed funds totaling more than $500,000 have been established through the Missouri State University Foundation in recent weeks. 

One of the new endowments supports a professorship; three other endowments establish new student scholarships; and the fifth endowment supports girls’ soccer at Greenwood Laboratory School. 

“We continue to emphasize endowments as key to the future of Missouri State University,” said President Michael T. Nietzel. “We very much appreciate the willingness of many individuals and groups to invest in our faculty and students. Our goal remains to attract and retain the best faculty, and to recruit and graduate the best students. These endowments will help us accomplish those goals.”

Through the new endowments, Missouri State added an endowed professorship in the College of Education, bringing the total of endowed faculty positions to 12. In July 2005, the university had two endowed faculty positions. The goal is 20 endowed positions by June 30, 2007, with a long-term goal of at least 80.

To help stimulate gifts to the endowment, Nietzel has continued his practice of covering the annual interest payment so each fund could immediately begin to benefit faculty and students. For example, when fully funded, a $250,000 endowed professorship yields $11,250 annually. Nietzel offered to fund that amount immediately and then decrease the subsidy over the years as the pledge was fulfilled.

The most recent endowments include the following:

• Carol D. Jones Endowed Scholarship – Carol Jones, owner of her own Springfield real estate company and philanthropist, has established an endowed scholarship to assist students who have financial need. Preference for the scholarship will be given to 1) students who are the first in their families to attend college and who have financial need and are parents, and/or 2) to students who have financial aid and are transfers from Ozarks Technical College.

• Endowed Professorship in the College of Education – from an anonymous donor, this position will ensure education majors have sufficient language skills in both English and Spanish to effectively teach in bilingual classroom environments. “We are experiencing a large influx of Latino residents and a resulting increasing population of Spanish-speaking primary and secondary students in our school systems,” the donor said. “If we are to provide a quality education for these students, teachers must have the ability to communicate. A program such as we envision should provide a method for teachers to provide a quality education for all students in this bi-lingual classroom environment.”

• Missouri State Alumni/St. Louis Leadership Scholarship Fund – the Missouri State University alumni living in the St. Louis-area have established an endowed leadership scholarship fund for St. Louis-area students who attend Missouri State. Nietzel announced that the ultimate goal for this endowed fund is $1 million.

• Endowed Scholarship in the Department of Chemistry – the Chemistry Department Advisory Committee has established a $50,000 endowed scholarship for chemistry majors.

• Endowed Fund to Support Girls’ Soccer at Greenwood – The Cavner Family Greenwood High School Girls’ Soccer Team Endowment was established by Howard and Nadia Cavner. The fund will benefit the girls’ high school soccer team for items such as uniforms, equipment, coach’s salary, travel expenses and other such program expenses. There are 23 players signed up for the team this spring. The Cavners began their endowment as a challenge fund intended to encourage others to support the newly-formed Greenwood girls’ soccer team.