More than 167 million reasons to say thank you

Tom Strong speaks to JQH Arena — Campaign co-chair Tom Strong speaks to the crowd at a victory celebration held during halftime of the Jan. 11 basketball game. Events were put on around campus that day to celebrate the success of the campaign. Photo by Kevin White

Your support means new buildings, scholarships, faculty positions

Our Promise started with a silent phase in 2005, and was publically announced Aug. 28, 2009. By that time, the Missouri State University Foundation had raised ,934,531 toward its original goal.

Since the campaign launch, the Missouri State University Foundation has received 16 gifts greater than million, 34 gifts from ,000 to million, 89 gifts from ,000 to ,000, 90 gifts from ,000 to ,000 and 866 gifts from ,000 to ,000. Thousands of other alumni and friends gave smaller sums that added up to final incredible amount.More than 375 new scholarships were established, which will benefit more than 8,000 students. In addition, 17 new faculty positions were established.

A total of 73,270 donors gave to the campaign.

“It is inspiring to learn that more than 73,000 donors supported Our Promise,” Strong said. “It was more than just a few individuals; it was a network of Missouri State family, friends and alumni that allowed us to exceed our expectations. Raising more than million speaks to the loyalty of those who love Missouri State.”

This is ‘the groundwork for a better Missouri State’

This level of support ensures the future of the University, McQueary said during the unveiling of the final amount: “The generosity of those who invest in Missouri State students are not just helping students of today thrive, they have laid the groundwork for a better Missouri State educational experience for generations of students to come.”

Though the campaign has concluded, the Foundation continues to raise money for the University since private support is so vital to Missouri State.

“There are many new goals and new initiatives to fund. And we will always need to increase scholarship support for students,” said Brent Dunn, vice president for university advancement. However, our current success will lead to even greater things, he said.

“The Our Promise campaign will help us raise even more private support in the future as we expand our outreach nationally and around the world.”

Highlights of major capital gifts throughout the campaign

Donors supported 29 capital projects during the Our Promise campaign. These projects have allowed MSU to build some absolutely amazing new structures, upgrade current buildings, and, most importantly, have helped us make sure our facilities meet the needs of our students and the community. The first major gift to be considered part of the campaign was the largest in university history — million from developer John Q. Hammons to build JQH Arena.

Other significant gifts supported:

McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall

This gift helped fund an expansion that houses an anatomy laboratory, classrooms and offices for health-related programs.

Greenwood Science Scholars Wing

The new wing includes two 1,800 square foot state-of-the-art lab/classrooms with storage space, two study atriums, faculty offices and a large student atrium.

Darr Agricultural Center

Significant gifts helped fund expansion of the Darr Agricultural Center, including classroom and lab facilities.

Journagan Ranch

The Journagan family donated their 3,000-plus-acre ranch in Douglas County. The gift included cattle, equipment and other ranch facilities.

Foster Family University Recreation Center

Private support helped fund the 100,000-square-foot facility that has three gyms, a climbing wall, an aquatics area, an indoor track, a cardio-fitness center, locker rooms and multipurpose rooms for dance and other fitness and wellness activities.

Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development

The downtown center will support entrepreneurs in a number of ways and will be the home of the Small Business and Technology Development Center.

Jim D. Morris Basketball Complex

A major gift helped build basketball locker rooms and team facilities in JQH Arena.

Betty and Bobby Allison Courts, and Betty and Bobby Allison Recreation Fields

This gift helped support the construction of the Foster Recreation Center, and endowed a portion of the intramural sports program.

Gohn Hall on the West Plains

The renovated home, donated to the University, will provide office and classroom space for the Missouri State University Outreach Program on the West Plains campus.

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$10,000-$50,000	866
$50,000-$100,000	90
$100,000-$500,000	89
$500,000-$1 million	30
Greater than $1 million	16

Your support means new buildings, scholarships, faculty positions

This is ‘the groundwork for a better Missouri State’

Discover more from Alumni News

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