Office of University Communications
Missouri State University Foundation continues record pace
Date: August 6, 2008
Contact: Brent Dunn
(417) 886-6666
“This is our best July ever in the history of the Foundation and our third best month overall,” said Brent Dunn, Missouri State’s vice president for university advancement. “We are extremely pleased we started the new fiscal year off on the right foot after having our record- breaking year. Our donors deserve the thanks for making such a great impact on the lives of students through their gifts.”
Since 2005, the Foundation has averaged nearly $1 million per month, and in keeping with the university’s goals of increasing student access to higher education and maintaining quality faculty, the Foundation added 40 new endowed funds (scholarships and faculty positions) the past year.
“We are very thankful for the generosity of so many donors to Missouri State University,” said Missouri State President Michael T. Nietzel. “These gifts make a difference every day in the lives of our students, faculty and staff; they enable our academic programs to grow consistently stronger. We really appreciate the confidence so many friends show to our university.”
The majority of the funding for Fiscal Year 2008 (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) was committed to academic purposes, Dunn said. A sample of the many gifts over the past year include: the Guy Mace Endowed Professorship in Engineering, gifts from the Darr Family Foundation and Journagan Construction for the Darr Agricultural Center, and the John and Fredna Mahaffey Operation Promise Scholarship for military veterans injured after Sept. 11, 2001. Additionally, $5 million was given and pledged in support of JQH Arena.
According to Dunn, the largest month in term of donations was December 2007, when $2,514,299 was given to the Foundation.