UCM Annual Report FY2022

FY2022 ANNUAL REPORT

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ds, for Dear Alumni and Frien LD RECORDS™ title the GUINNESS WOR ed : im ord cla ly rec er ud oth pro an M ether to set In the same year that UC and donors worked tog i mn alu s, ule M of e the Largest Ridden Parad dation history! r in UCM Alumni Foun our most generous yea als supported re than 8,388 individu mo ) 22 20 , 30 e Jun gh of 1, 2021, throu gifts. As an added point In fiscal year 2022 (July 2,068 in philanthropic ,69 tion $8 da in un Fo ing of ult nt res ou lly, d the greatest am rke the university financia ma r yea al fisc st pa share that this . pride, we are pleased to r history at $1,515,017 to UCM students in ou ted bu tri dis ips rsh ola sch , to establish an unselor education center co w ne a ate cre to de education center ns were ma nstruction of an aviation Significant contributio co d fun to , nts de stu operations of business rport and to support the endowed scholarship for Ai n ave yh Sk er ish Sw evision station on at Max B. -TV (a PBS member tel and terminal building OS KM d an n sig De d of Art an day campaigns to er for fun-filled giving both the UCM Gallery eth tog d lle pu rs no do , generous campus). Furthermore ns. impact of their donatio ve cti lle maximize the co hip in promoting ith, ’00, for his partners Sm as om Th ian Br or to act gazine. Our firstWe offer special thanks the cover story of this ma in ed tur fea as ay, esd Tu ving the Mule campaign philanthropy during Gi tics and our Summer of hle At M UC for y da ing nded out the year. ever Match Madness giv d-edition beach towel rou ite lim a th wi l nia ten cen 16% in 2021. celebrating our mascot’s of our alumni, up from % 28 of t en em gag en the These efforts resulted in thrilled to share the board of directors, we are n’s tio da un Fo ni um Al out the most recently On behalf of the UCM pages you will learn ab ing low fol the On u. yo th portunity Grants that 2022 annual report wi norees, donor-funded Op ho ist rop ly benefit nth ila Ph g din the students who direct of few a inducted class of Foun y, ntl rta po im erience and, most improve the student exp from your support. transforming steadfast in our vision of are we ty, rsi ive un the re is no better what’s next for ssible. We know that the po d As we look forward to ne agi im y the at ent and support. nts beyond wh ur continued engagem yo the lives of UCM stude for u yo k an Th it. s worthy pursu partner than you in thi Sincerely,

Homer Kay, ’78 s dation Board of Director President, Alumni Foun

J.D. Courtney E. Goddard, ty Advancement rsi ive Un Vice President, ni Foundation Executive Director, Alum

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Fall 2022 | ucmfoundation.org/magazine

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Celebrating the

Spirit of Philanthropy Established in 2021 as part of UCM’s sesquicentennial celebration, An Evening of Appreciation has become the signature event of UCM’s Founders Society. Members of this giving society have contributed $25,000 or more cumulatively in their lifetime, through outright gifts or documented planned gift intentions.

The 2022 Evening of Appreciation took place April 30 during the university’s Founders Week. Seven generous individuals joined the inaugural six in being named Founding Philanthropists.

Adrian and Margaret Harmon, shown here with former UCM President Ed Elliott, were honored posthumously as Founding Philanthropists.

John Spillman Jones was honored posthumously for his generous bequest valued at $20 million, the largest planned gift in UCM history.

Posthumous recognition went to John Spillman Jones, a Warrensburg native and 1912 graduate of Normal School No. 2, now UCM. John went on to earn his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago and had a lengthy career at Ralston

Purina. He and his wife, Kathleen (Kerr) Jones, enjoyed spending time with their two children on the family farm in Warrensburg.

Business Graduate Scholarship. They were charter members of the Mule Train Athletic Booster Club and were inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

Kathleen passed away in 1961, and John passed in 1968, leaving a bequest valued at $20 million, the largest planned gift in the history of the university.

Both Adrian and Margaret passed away in 2014, survived by their three children, Lynn A. Harmon, Tom D. Harmon and Deborah (Harmon) Rankin, as well as eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Carl Adrian Harmon and Margaret Katherine Harmon were also recognized posthumously, having contributed over $2.6 million from their successful banking careers to UCM. Adrian and Margaret are best known for their support of UCM’s Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies, named in their honor, as well as the Adrian and Margaret Harmon

Lynn Adrian Harmon and his wife, Jackie Harmon, were honored as 2022 Founding Philanthropists along with Lynn’s parents. Adrian and Margaret moved to Warrensburg in 1949, and Lynn went to school on the university campus from kindergarten through high school. Jackie grew up on a farm north of Warrensburg and met Lynn at College High School.

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Dan and Shirley Power and Jackie and Lynn Harmon were named Founding Philanthropists at the second annual Evening of Appreciation on April 30, 2022.

Jackie is a retired educator who earned her master’s degree at UCM. Lynn is a retired banker whose career started in 1966 as assistant cashier at Citizens Bank of Warrensburg, which his parents purchased the controlling interest in thirteen years prior. Lynn retired as chairman and CEO when what had grown into Central Mortgage Bancshares Inc. merged with Mercantile Bancorp Inc. of St. Louis in 1995. That same year he was appointed to UCM’s Board of Governors, serving as president in 1999.

Lynn and Jackie are the caretakers of the Harmon legacy at UCM. They have established several scholarships, most recently a scholarship for international students through the Rotary Foundation in honor of Duane Sterling, UCM director emeritus of planning and policy.

They are also known for the gift honoring their youngest daughter, Meridith (Harmon) Sauer, which funded UCM’s first permanently endowed professorship and the endowed guest artist series for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Lynn and Jackie have three children, Meridith, Monte Harmon and Shanna (Harmon) O’Donnell, and eight grandchildren.

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The final two 2022 Founding Philanthropist honorees are Dan and Shirley Power. While earning two Education degrees from UCM — a bachelor’s in 1973 and a master’s in 1974 — Dan wrestled for the Mules under Coach Roger Denker. He was an MIAA champion, served as team captain, was voted most valuable wrestler and was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 as part of the 1972–73 wrestling team. Following graduation, he became a successful high school wrestling coach and then went into real estate, followed by finance. He retired from Edward Jones after a standout career spanning three and a half decades.

Shirley graduated from UCM in 1980 with a degree in Home Economics in Business, Textiles and Clothing. When the couple moved to Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1981 she left retail management to work as an Edward Jones branch office administrator for more than 15 years. In honor of her late mother, a 1944 Central Missouri State Teachers College graduate, she established the Laura L. Raker Barr Scholarship for Teacher Education in 2007.

Fall 2022 | ucmfoundation.org/magazine

In 2020 the Powers made a significant gift to construct a permanent wrestling facility at UCM. Dan also gives back through the Roger Denker Memorial Scholarship, which he established with a former teammate to support Mules wrestlers. He served on the UCM Foundation Board of Directors for over a decade, and his leadership as chair of the Finance and Investment Committee helped the foundation more than double its total assets and triple yearly scholarship awards. Dan was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Service in 2016.

Dan and Shirley are pleased to see the spirit of giving continue through their daughter, Sheena, and son, Dane, a 2007 UCM alumnus, who both volunteer their time and resources.

By means of their generosity and involvement, these seven Founding Philanthropists have enabled opportunities that transform the lives of UCM students.

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LIFE CHANGES UCM Career Center Prepares Students, Alumni for Whatever Life Brings

By Jace Uchtman, Public Relations Undergraduate Student Gifts to the Central Annual Fund help UCM students in a variety of ways, from providing need-based scholarships to funding innovative programs that enhance the student experience. Each year UCM faculty and staff are invited to apply for Opportunity Grants funded by donors like you. One of the initiatives selected in fiscal year 2022 was the Career and Life Design Center’s Professional Clothing Studio.

T

he University of Central Missouri has embraced change to help students succeed in an ever-changing job market. This year UCM Career Services underwent a full transformation, starting with a name change to the Career and Life Design Center (CLDC).

The new name better reflects the office’s role as more than just assisting with resumes and hosting job fairs but also offering support that helps students and alumni design — or redesign — their careers and their lives.

Thanks to donors and sponsors, the CLDC has remodeled its office space

with state-of-the-art technology. An Opportunity Grant from the UCM Alumni Foundation helped fund the Professional Clothing Studio, featuring high-quality donated business attire.

The CLDC also became an early adopter of the “Design Your Life” program that originated at Stanford University.

UCM student Madison Swank browses the racks at the Professional Clothing Studio in the Ward Edwards Building. Students are allotted four free items of clothing per month.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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Designing Your Life According to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report, only 27.3% of college graduates are employed in a job that matches their major. After a wildly successful class in the summer of 2007 geared toward helping students find jobs related to their degrees, two Stanford University professors, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, wrote a book titled “Designing Your Life.” In December 2020, staff from the UCM Career and Life Design Center used Title III funding to attend virtual training based on the book.

“Life design has had such an influence on our office over the past couple of years that we really feel it is a foundational piece of who we are and what we want to be moving forward,” says CLDC’s director, Amber Goreham, ’04, ’18.

UCM’s staff has benefited from the design-thinking methodology.

The Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications, Online Learning and Engagement, and Campus Community Health have all participated in CLDC retreats.

This summer CLDC held a virtual workshop series exclusively for alumni, which featured exercises such as energy mapping, finding moments of happiness

and building a support community. In-person workshops were held for incoming freshmen during UCM’s Kickoff in August.

Along with the flagship Career Readiness course, students now have the opportunity to enroll in two other CLDC classes: Design Your UCM Transfer and Life Design. Alex Wilson, ’22, took Life Design in fall 2021, UCM freshmen Tanner Menton, William McMains and Travis Barbour work with CLDC the first semester it was employer relations and event coordinator Joni Porter at UCM Kickoff on Aug. 12. offered, and discussed his experience on the Accelerating Your Career “Mules With a Mission” podcast.

“These are life skills that aren’t taught in other courses,” says Wilson. “More than career readiness but life readiness — analyzing what you want and need in life.”

Kendall Reger, who graduates in December 2022 with a degree in Political Science and Government, also took the course.

“I absolutely loved the curriculum,” says Reger, who now works as a peer mentor and coach for the CLDC Walk-In Studio Experience (WISE). “I felt it changed my mindset in a lot of different ways.”

CLDC director Amber Goreham, center, leads a retreat for UCM Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications employees, from left, Eric Boedeker, ’14, Sam Schleicher, Sarah Meek, ’20, and Myah Duncan, ’20, ’22.

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Fall 2022 | ucmfoundation.org/magazine

The Career and Life Design Center offers lifetime support to UCM alumni and encourages them to utilize resources well beyond graduation. The Walk-In Studio Experience (WISE) was designed for individuals to access many resources simply by walking in. Resources include mock interviews, a free Headshot Central photo studio, resume help, job and graduate school searches and much more. Alumni can schedule an appointment to access these resources in-person or virtually.

In the past, CLDC would host one in-person and one virtual job fair each semester. There are now multiple, smaller job fairs based around a particular major or industry. UCM alumni are invited to represent their businesses or attend as job seekers.

Known for its accelerated learning programs and career-specific training, the UCM Lee’s Summit campus celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022 and was honored by the Chamber of Commerce as the city’s Best Business of the Year. Clarinda Dir, UCM Center for Workforce and Professional Education program manager, oversees career-related services at the Lee’s Summit campus and works closely with the Career and Life Design Center.

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In the spring, the Lee’s Summit campus will host its annual UCM Nursing Hiring Day. Jenni Jarman, a junior in the Nursing program, has been taking classes at the Lee’s Summit campus and gaining clinical experience at St. Luke’s Hospital for the past two semesters. Thanks to the Nursing Hiring Day in 2022, she was able to secure a job at St. Luke’s.

“I would not have gotten my job if it wasn’t for this experience,” says Jarman, who enjoys the modern campus, technology and wide age range of students in the university community.

The University of Central Missouri is committed to ensuring that students and alumni have the ability to excel professionally in and beyond the classroom, as evidenced by the fact that 97% of UCM students launch their career or continue their education within six months of graduation. The Career and Life Design Center is contributing to their success by preparing them not only for their first destination but for whatever changes life might bring.

Planting the Seeds of Opportunity In addition to the Career and Life Design Center’s Professional Clothing Studio, UCM Farms was among the nine applicants awarded a total of $29,762 in Opportunity Grants for the 2021–22 academic year.

The Opportunity Grant was used to purchase a Miller/Bobcat 260 Welder/Generator that has allowed for small repairs to pipe corrals to be done more quickly and economically.

“As the Agriculture department continues to expand, we hope to integrate the welder into class projects built on the farms led by the Agriculture Mechanics students,” says UCM Farms Director Travis Hume, ’15, ’18. “The generator also allows for lights, grinding wheels, portable chargers and other power tools to be easily used when working in the field because we can transport the welder and generator in the bed of our Gator.”

The machine was a huge asset this past spring as students planted research plots and vacuumed out seed hoppers in between planting different hybrids of corn.

Your Gifts Unlock a World of Opportunity The UCM Alumni Foundation launched the Opportunity Grant program in 2013 to support targeted, innovative, student-centered ideas of UCM faculty and staff. Through a competitive process, the program provides one-time seed money for projects designed to positively impact the university’s learning environment and students’ academic experience. Since 2013, more than $400,000 in Opportunity Grant funding has been awarded, benefiting thousands of UCM students.

Projects awarded for the upcoming 2022–23 academic year include: • Video podcasting equipment for Digital Media Production students • Student seminar on gender discrimination in STEM fields • Kitchen supplies for the expansion of the THRIVE program • 3D tactile campus maps for blind and low-vision visitors

Kendall Reger, a student employee at the Career and Life Design Center, takes a professional photo of student Brandon Cannon at the Headshot Central studio.

To find out more about this innovative program and how you can support it, visit ucmfoundation.org/give/magazine.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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Donor-Funded Scholarships Open Doors for Students Spotlighted here are just a few of the UCM students whose opportunities have expanded through the support of generous friends and alumni like you.

Donyae Watson is a freshman from Kansas City and the first recipient of the Blanche Kelso Bruce/Robb Madden Scholarship in Africana Studies. The scholarship was originally named after Bruce, the second African American to serve in the U.S. Senate and the first to be elected for a full term. The name was amended to honor the late Robb Madden, ’03, ’05, ’18, the first graduate of the Africana Studies minor at UCM and founder of the scholarship.

“With this scholarship, I will finally be able to live out my childhood dream of becoming an African American Studies professor,” Donyae says. “For those who came together for me, I really thank you all because I need it. I won’t let you guys down.”

Donyae completed an internship this summer in Ghana, West Africa, through the Experiment in International Living.

While there she archived photographs for local arts and cultural preservation and met up with UCM History Professor Delia Gillis.

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Kyle Daniel is a freshman Mechanical Engineering Technology major from Elsberry, Missouri. He received the Jack and Aggie O’Brien Scholarship, the Margaret C. Palmer Scholarship and the Katzentine/ Carswell/Cheatham Scholarship.

Kyle chose UCM because he found opportunities to pursue his interests in both engineering and Agriculture, which he plans to study as his minor. His career goal is to improve the design of equipment used in the cattle industry.

“I hope to not only identify an area needing improvement and research ways to upgrade it but also design and produce the product,” he says. “The scholarship has helped me with opportunities I never would have had.”

Kyle enjoys being outdoors, working on his family’s farm and raising bulls for rodeos. In high school he was active in trapshooting, baseball, golf, FFA and the National Honor Society. He is looking forward to meeting challenges and getting involved in student organizations at UCM and wants to make a difference in people’s lives.

Fall 2022 | ucmfoundation.org/magazine

Grace Kennedy is a senior Public Relations major who is also a Warrensburg native and member of a UCM Legacy Family. She received the Larry and Kali Schnieders (both ’73 alumni) Scholarship in Public Relations, the Anthony and Sarah Taylor (both ’08 alumni) Scholarship and the ShipleyHocker Scholarship, which allowed her to study abroad on UCM’s first Divided Cities tour this summer.

The trip was led by Michael Makara, a Political Science professor, and Kristy Boney, chair of the newly formed Department of Modern Languages and Interdisciplinary Studies. Students on the trip got to see what racial, political and religious division looks like in Kansas City, Berlin and Jerusalem. Grace witnessed firsthand how past decisions and events can have a lasting impact on a region.

“Even though we were studying division, we were seeing all the similarities and consistencies in humanity that exist everywhere,” she says. “All of the division we have is because of bad communication. … We got to bring those lessons back home with us.”

Lina’s Award-Winning Poem

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The world has looked different for some time now The world has looked different for some time now The places I thought I had christened as mine are now like strangers As if all the magical moments imprinted there had only been pastimes As if it all happened in another life and not some couple of years ago Now, I remember, and I look at all of them and then I look at me And a bittersweet taste in my chest tells me that we’ve changed That they were places borrowed by life to show me what it’s like to live And life whispers in my ear that those golden times are past Because now it’s up to new places to give me a space to grow and feel Now the park is covered with grass and my hips don’t fit those swings that are already damaged And from that corner vanished with the passing of the years the sale of ice creams I remember buying one to sit down to write and feel capable of eating the world Because that’s the best feeling of a teenager, but too bad it vanishes in a second So much has changed Except my deepest longing Everything has changed Except my deepest longing And I want to shout it to the world before the wrinkles rule my skin Or even I can shout it till the last day of my life Maybe people will see only a honey-sweet looking body But only the right people will see a soul that’s moved by passion for life Only eyes that look from beauty and nobility will see a blooming soul.

El mundo luce distinto desde hace algún tiempo El mundo luce distinto desde hace algún tiempo Los lugares que creí haber bautizado como míos ya son como extraños Como si todos los momentos mágicos impresos allí solo hubiesen sido pasatiempos Como si todo hubiera sucedido en otra vida y no hace algún par de años

Lina María García Arrieta is an international student from Corozal, Sucre, Colombia. She is a Political Science major and member of the Student Government Association.

As an editor for Arcade Magazine, UCM’s student-run literary journal, Lina is no stranger to creative writing.

She was thrilled when she learned her poem was selected for the Baker-Starzinger Poetry Award.

“To the writer-donors Page Starzinger and David Baker, I would like to express my gratitude for the support they give to the talent of young people at UCM,” Lina says. “I recognize in them two valuable and infinitely generous people for appreciating and encouraging literary talent. Their contribution makes it possible for me to contribute to my studies and motivates me to follow my dreams.”

Ahora, recuerdo y miro a todos ellos y luego me miro a mi misma Y un agridulce sabor en el pecho me dice que hemos cambiado Que fueron lugares prestados por la vida para enseñarme cómo es vivir Y la vida me susurra al oído que ya pasaron esos tiempos dorados Porque ahora les toca a nuevos lugares darme un espacio para crecer y sentir Ahora el parque está cubierto de césped y mis caderas no caben en esos columpios ya dañados Ya de esa esquina se desvaneció por el paso de los años la venta de helados Recuerdo comprar uno para sentarme a escribir y sentirme capaz de comerme el mundo Porque ese es el mejor sentimiento de un adolescente, pero lástima que se esfuma en un segundo Mucho ha cambiado Excepto mi anhelo más profundo Todo ha cambiado Excepto mi anhelo más profundo Y quiero gritarlo al mundo antes de que las arrugas dominen mi piel O incluso puedo gritarlo hasta el último día de mi vida Tal vez la gente vea sólo a un cuerpo con apariencia dulce como la miel Pero sólo las personas correctas verán a un alma que se ha movido por la pasión que tiene por la vida Sólo los ojos que miren desde la hermosura y nobleza verán a un alma florecida.

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ONORS EV D T E OS

R!

Donors have thousands of choices when it comes to investing their philanthropic dollars, and we are honored that people like you continue to choose the UCM Alumni Foundation year after year. The fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022) demonstrated that the level of trust in our mission has never been stronger.

M

SETTING RECORDS OF GENEROSITY The leadership and staff of the UCM Alumni Foundation have worked diligently over the course of many decades to carefully cultivate, manage and distribute the gifts that you and thousands of alumni and friends have made in support of the university. You carry on the rich heritage of philanthropy at UCM. Because of your generosity, we are proud to report an incredible year of giving, including: • • • • •

The most philanthropic dollars received in a fiscal year.

The greatest number of donors in UCM history.

The most student scholarship dollars awarded in UCM history.

The highest number of endowment funds in UCM history.

The largest number of gifts processed in a fiscal year.

Every gift made to the UCM Alumni Foundation makes a difference for our students, faculty, programs, champion athletic teams and facilities.

Thank you for investing in our historical institution to ensure that we thrive in the present while preparing for the future!

THE MOST SCHOLARSHIPS EVER AWARDED FY20 975 SCHOLARSHIPS

$1.1M AWARDED

FY21 1,037 SCHOLARSHIPS

$1.3M AWARDED

FY22 1,146 SCHOLARSHIPS

$1.5M AWARDED

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Fall 2022 | ucmfoundation.org/magazine

FY22 8,388

24% INCREASE

FY21

FY20

OVER FY21

6,751

6,689

CAPITAL PROJECT FUND

1

SCHOLARSHIP AND STUDENT SUPPORT FUNDS

26

PROGRAM SUPPORT FUNDS

8

35

NEW FUNDS

CREATED

$8.69M

RECEIVED IN FY22

2022 A N N UA L RFEEPAT O RT URE

SC H

IPS SH R A

595

KMOS-T V

L O 28%

6%

CAPITAL PROJE

FY21 $1,565,820

36 %

18%

CT S

S TIC ATHLE

HOW CONTRIBUTIONS WERE UTILIZED IN FY22

FY22 $1,653,109

HIGHEST NUMBER OF ENDOWMENT FUNDS EVER!

1

AC 2% A SUP DEMIC PORT

$77.6M

FY20 $1,464,585

TOTAL ASSETS

FY22 28%

ENDOWMENT PAYOUT

ALUMNI

This year saw a record endowment payout of more than $1.6 million to UCM students, programs and facilities.

ENGAGEMENT

FY21 16%

THE MOST EVER

GIFTS PROCESSED CENTRAL ANNUAL FUND FY22 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FUND: FY22 DONORS 1,018 FY22 DONATIONS $257,316

38% INCREASE

OVER FY21

14,678 FY20

15,733 FY21

21,717 FY22

TYPES OF GIFTS RECEIVED

4%

UNRESTRICTED

33%

RESTRICTED

32%

ENDOWMENTS

31%

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Although they make up only a small slice of the philanthropic pie, unrestricted dollars enable us to address our greatest needs and opportunities. Issues that are undertaken by unrestricted dollars include need-based student scholarships and the upgrade of instructional technology. Contributions can be restricted to scholarships or a variety of programs at UCM including KMOS-TV and athletics. Donors often choose to invest their major gifts as endowments for long-term support or contribute to facility improvements through capital projects. Make your gift today at ucmfoundation.org/give/magazine.

University of Central Missouri Magazine

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