Philanthropy | Spring 2012

INSIDE: Learn about the features that will position the Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center as one of the finest nursing facilities in the United States.

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philanthropy U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A R Y H A R D I N - B AY L O R

SPRING 2012

welcome Springtime has arrived on the Mary Hardin-Baylor campus,

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE UMHB ALUMNI? M O R E

T H A N

and with the changing seasons comes an air of excitement as signs of new beginnings emerge in the form of new buildings and construction.

In the fall, groundbreakings were held for two new academic buildings—the Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center and the Baugh Center for the Visual Arts. Construction on both facilities began shortly thereafter. The transformation of 9th Avenue, where the two buildings will stand side-by-side, is already apparent to anyone visiting the south side of campus.

With construction scheduled to begin on the student union building and football stadium this spring, the anticipation continues to build as many elements of the Campus Master Plan come to life. We hope you will find an opportunity to visit campus this spring to see firsthand the exciting new beginnings your gifts continue to help make a reality. Thank you for your faithful support of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

G R A D U AT E S L I V E A N D S E R V E I N

40 countries.

AUSTRALIA • BRAZIL • CANADA • CHINA CZECH REPUBLIC • ECUADOR • FINLAND G E R M A N Y • H O N G K O N G • H U N G A RY • I N D I A INDONESIA • IRAQ • IRELAND • ISRAEL I TA LY • J A PA N • J O R D A N • K E N YA • K U W A I T

Philanthropy is published three times a year by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Division of Communications and Special Projects.

To share your comments, you may write to the editor at UMHB Box 8431, 900 College Street, Belton, Texas 76513; send emails to jjones@umhb.edu, or phone 254 295 4164.

For more information about giving to UMHB, please contact the Office of Development at 254 295 4601.

LEBANON • MARIANA ISLANDS • MEXICO NEW ZEALAND • PERU • POLAND P O R T U G A L • Q ATA R • S A U D I A R A B I A SENEGAL • SOUTH AFRICA • SOUTH KOREA S PA I N • TA I W A N • TA N Z A N I A T H A I L A N D • U N I T E D S TAT E S O F A M E R I C A VENEZUELA • ZAMBIA • ZIMBABWE

THIS WINTER, UMHB SENT

STUDENTS ON TRIPS THROUGH

GO NOW MISSIONS THAN ANY OTHER UNIVERSITY. PLACES STUDENTS SERVED OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK INCLUDED: D E C . 9 - 17: T R A N S N I E S T R I A

Students delivered new socks and boots directly to children in orphanages in one of the poorest and coldest areas of Eastern Europe.

D E C . 14 - 21: H A I T I

Students completed construction on a boys’ home and were involved in building additional homes.

D E C . 16 -2 3: M I S S I O N A R L I N G T O N

Students helped with a Christmas store; distributed food; and delivered bikes, trees, and furniture in inner city Arlington.

D E C . 16 - J A N . 2: E A S T A S I A

The women on the team delivered gift bags of holiday treats, hygiene items, and Bible tracts or DVDs to prostitutes enslaved in sex trafficking.

Young Alumni Board contributes to endowment supporting missions Formed last year, the UMHB Young Alumni Board wasted no time getting involved in philanthropic support of the university. In one of their first initiatives, board members decided to work on building an endowment to provide financial assistance for students going on mission trips. The mission trip assistance fund was established through gifts from the Class of 2008 and the Class of 2009 when those classes graduated from the university. The Young Alumni Board has set a goal of doubling the amount in the fund by the end of 2012.

The missions fund is designed to help offset travel expenses for students who are participating in a UMHB-sponsored mission trip. Students must apply for the assistance, and those selected are required to record a video telling about their trip, so their experiences can be shared with others via Facebook or some other medium.

The Young Alumni Board is encouraging all young alumni (graduates from the last 10 years) to get involved in supporting the fund. For more information, contact Rebecca O’Banion, Director of Alumni Relations, at 254-295-4603.

JA N . 1- 8: JA M A IC A

Students built a hurricane-proof house for a family deep in the south central part of Jamaica.

New home for student life

The groundbreaking for the football stadium and student union building was held on campus Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. Construction is set to begin immediately. Watch for the next issue of Philanthropy, which will provide additional details about how you can be a part of this exciting, transformative project.

PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

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envisioning the future In the past eleven years, enrollment in the Scott and White College of Nursing has more than tripled, making the construction of a dedicated nursing center on campus crucial for the program’s continued growth. The $20 million Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center answers the call.

WHEN DR. SHARON SOUTER TALKS ABOUT UMHB’S NEW nursing education center, her excitement is infectious. “The new building will not just be an improvement over the nursing program’s current facility,” she says; “it is going to be one of the finest nursing education centers in the United States.”

And she should know. As dean of the Scott and White College of Nursing at UMHB, Dr. Souter served on a team of educators, administrators, and architects, touring facilities and visiting with other program directors to learn what it takes to create a top-notch learning facility. The result of their careful research is the Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center. When completed, the three-story, 76,100-square-foot facility will offer UMHB nursing students an array of unusual features designed to maximize their learning experience:

Simulation laboratories where student responses to

computerized simulation mannequins can be videotaped

for review and assessment

A simulated hospital suite, complete with a live nurses’

station, where students can practice care techniques in an 4 PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

ER/trauma area, a labor and delivery area, a critical care

unit, and a home health setting, using the same

equipment found in the best hospitals

A physical assessment suite where students can

practice examining volunteer “patients,” then gather in a

debriefing room to review videotapes of the simulations

with their professors and fellow students The center will also include features geared toward the style of teaching found at UMHB:

Numerous small meeting rooms and conference areas

scattered throughout the building to foster tutoring and

study in small groups

Classrooms with rows of tables and chairs that can be

reconfigured for small group work, and wireless internet

connections that allow any room to be used for

computerized testing when needed

A small chapel where students may retreat for moments

of meditation and prayer “Our goal has been to create a center that not only offers

The three-story, 76,100-square-foot Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center is custom designed for best practices in nursing education. Below: The lobby of the center will include a water feature and a welcome station for visitors.

PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

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cutting-edge technology but also reflects our emphasis on personal attention in a Christian setting,” Dean Souter says. “We think this center is going reflect all of these emphases, and we are very excited to see it taking shape!”

THE ISABELLE RUTHERFORD MEYER NURSING EDUCATION Center will be the first building at UMHB expressly devoted to the Scott and White College of Nursing. Though Scott & White Hospital’s registered nurse diploma program was converted to a baccalaureate program and transferred to Mary Hardin-Baylor in 1970, it has always had to share space in Wells Science Hall with the biology department and the department of mathematics and physics. Through the years, a shortage of trained nurses nationwide prompted efforts to expand the program, and as word spread about the College of Nursing’s reputation for excellence, the number of nursing majors grew. In the fall of 2000, 220 students were declared nursing majors at UMHB; in the fall of 2011, the number of declared majors was 682. As the college has grown, it has expanded far beyond the space in Wells Science Hall, and when planners evaluated facility needs for a new Campus Master Plan in 2010, a new nursing center led the list.

With a price tag of $20 million, the Isabelle Rutherford Meyer Nursing Education Center will be one of the most technologically advanced academic centers ever constructed on the campus.

Foremost among the donors who have stepped forward to help the university fund the project is the Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation, which offered a lead gift of $5 million for the project in May 2011. In recognition of the Meyer family’s generosity, the university has named the building in memory of Paul Meyer’s mother, who during her lifetime worked as a nurse and as a teacher. The Leroy and Merle Weir Charitable Trust of Georgetown also made an early catalyst gift of $500,000 which drew the attention of other charitable groups to the project.

In the fall of 2011, two significant challenge grants were 6 PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

approved for the project. The first was from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, which offered a challenge grant of $2 million; the second was a challenge grant for a significant but undisclosed amount, from a donor who asked to remain anonymous. Both grants require UMHB to raise the balance of the $20 million cost through gifts and grants by the time the construction is completed near the end of 2012.

“The two challenge grants have generated a lot of excitement about the project among our alumni and friends,” says Brent Davison, UMHB’s vice president for development. “The grants have set an aggressive timeline for our fundraising efforts, but they are offering our donors the opportunity to double or even triple the impact of their gifts by helping the university qualify for these matching funds. Our goal is to completely fund the project through gifts and grants so that center will be built debt free, which would be an amazing accomplishment.”

IN THE CHILLY EARLY DAYS OF 2012, THE BUILDING SITE across from the York Science Center on Ninth Avenue was filled with heavy machinery as construction crews laid the groundwork for the new center. If all goes according to plan, the contractors hope to complete the facility and have it ready for use by the spring 2013 semester.

For Dean Souter, it can’t be too soon. “The need for nurses is great in Texas, and many hospitals and clinics are unable to find enough BSN graduates to fill their vacancies. We would like to reach the point that we can admit every qualified student who wants to earn a nursing degree, because the more graduates we can train, the better it will be for our healthcare system. And better healthcare is something that benefits us all.”

To learn more about how you can support the construction of the new nursing education center through a personal gift, contact Brent Davison at the Development Office (254-295-4601; BDavison@umhb.edu).

ISABELLE RUTHERFORD MEYER NURSING EDUCATION CENTER NAMING OPPORTUNITIES Per Year for 5 Years*

Area

Amount

Per Year for 5 Years*

$100,000

$20,000

Simulated Nurses’ Station

$25,000

$5,000

Physical Diagnosis Simulation Lab

$100,000

$20,000

Welcome Center Conference Room

Awarded

Learning Lab (8)

$75,000

$15,000

Faculty Office (25)

$20,000

$4,000

Dean’s Suite $50,000 $10,000

Patient Clinic Lounge

$20,000

$4,000

Faculty Conference Room

$50,000

$10,000

Patient Clinic Prep Room

$20,000

$4,000

Nursing Skills Simulation Lab (2)

$50,000

$10,000

Patient Exam Room (6)

$20,000

$4,000

Computer Lab $40,000 $8,000

Simulated Patient Room (4)

$20,000

$4,000

Seminar Room, Large (2)

$30,000

Student Lounge

Awarded

Simulated CCU Room

Awarded

Area

Amount

Learning Resource Center

$6,000

Mail Room $15,000 $3,000

Faculty Lounge $25,000 $5,000

Media Room $15,000 $3,000

Patient Clinic Debrief Room (3)

$25,000

$5,000

Nursing Skills Control Room

Seminar Room, Small (2)

$25,000

$5,000

Workroom, Large $15,000 $3,000

Simulated ER/Trauma Room

$25,000

$5,000

Workroom, Small $15,000 $3,000

Simulated Home Health Room

$25,000

$5,000

Chapel Window $12,500 $2,500

Simulated Hospital Control Room

$25,000

$5,000

Faculty Meeting Room (5)

$10,000

$2,000

Simulated Hospital Office Suite

$25,000

$5,000

Group Study Room (4)

$10,000

$2,000

Simulated Labor/Delivery Room

$25,000

$5,000

Chapel Pew (6)

Awarded

Simulated Nurses’ Station

Awarded

$15,000

$3,000

*Gifts to the Nursing Education Center may be made as a series of payments over a period of several years. All gifts totalling $2,500 or more will be recognized on a Donor Wall of Honor in the lobby of the center.

PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

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an evening to

remember

PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP CIRCLE DINNER HONORS DONORS APPROXIMATELY 125 GATHERED THURSDAY, NOV. 3, 2011, AT the Musick Alumni Center and Museum at the Parker House for the inaugural President’s Leadership Circle dinner. This was a special time to express appreciation to members of the President’s Leadership Circle, who support UMHB through giving $1,000 or more each year, or a total of $25,000 or more.

As guests arrived, they were greeted by students dressed as prominent university historical figures Judge R.E.B. Baylor, President John Hill Luther, Elli Moore Townsend, and John and Mary Hardin. After touring the museum, guests enjoyed dinner.

8 PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

At the conclusion of this event, president Randy O’Rear presented the first annual John and Mary Hardin Visionary Leadership Award to Jane Meyer, who in 2011 generously pledged a gift of $5 million toward the construction of the new nursing building.

The purpose of this award—named in memory of the Hardins, whose timely support saved the university from financial ruin in the 1930s—is to recognize donors who have made visionary investments in the future of UMHB. The award is in the shape of the Living Flame, a campus landmark located in the historical plaza, which represents the light of Christian education.

Opposite page: Lenore Vittetoe speaks with President John Hill Luther, played by senior Seth Dickinson; Judge R.E.B. Baylor (senior Connor Buchanan) takes Marietta Parker for a spin to the sound of jazz music. This page, clockwise from top: Bob and Glenella Scarborough enjoy appetizers while sharing a laugh with university ambassador Bethany Greeson; Jane Meyer was presented with the first annual John and Mary Hardin Visionary Leadership Award; a banner brightens the entrance at the Musick Alumni Center and Museum at the Parker House; sophomore Rylee Heckathorne, dressed as Elli Moore Townsend, welcomes guests.

PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

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one-wayticket ROSE ’61 AND MITCHEL WONG GIVE BACK

TO THE SCHOOL THAT NURTURED ROSE AFTER HER MOVE FROM CHINA WHEN ROSE TSAO WONG ’61 WAS SIXTEEN, SHE LEFT HOME with a one-way ticket from her native China to America. But when she recalls those days, she is much too humble to mention all she achieved as a result of the hardships she endured.

Luckily, her husband, Mitchel, is quick to jump in and praise his wife’s tenacity.

“If you can imagine leaving home at 16 and coming to a different country with different customs and a different language— she had no money and no family here to help her out. She had to do for herself. That gives you insight into how determined she is. It took me years to find out: when she makes up her mind to do something, that is what happens,” he said.

Rose enrolled in nursing school in North Dakota. Upon completing the program, though, she learned the state would not allow a non-citizen to take the State Board of Nursing licensing exam.

“I was very disappointed and felt like my education was incomplete. I had a sister who attended school at MHB, so she suggested I finish my college there,” Rose said.

Rose never regretted the decision.

“I enjoyed my life at Mary Hardin-Baylor a great deal because it was like home to me. Not having parents in this country and living on campus, all of my support was at MHB. I had really good relationships with a few very close friends.”

And without Mary Hardin-Baylor, it is likely that she and Mitchel would have never met. The couple light up when they 1 0 PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

speak of their first encounter—even if, after 50 years, some of the details are a bit hazy.

“Mitch was a freshman at UT. We met at this gathering—,“ Rose begins.

Was it an international student gathering, or a Baptist Student Union gathering? The couple can’t decide.

No matter, Rose continues. “During freshman initiation they thought it would be good for the students at UT and MHB to meet on UT’s campus. But we didn’t date until I was about to finish school and Mitch was already in his first year at med school. He remembered we met some years ago but had never really had a date, so we started corresponding with letters.”

After graduating from Mary Hardin-Baylor, Rose moved to New York and began working at St. Luke’s Hospital. Mitchel followed in the summer of 1961 to participate in an externship at NYU’s College of Physicians, and the couple was married by that August. After Mitchel finished his residency, they returned to his hometown of Austin to open Austin Eye, a successful ophthalmology practice where they both continue to work to this day.

In 2011, the couple established two annual $20,000 scholarships to assist UMHB nursing students.

“I appreciate the experience that I had at Mary HardinBaylor,” Rose said. “When I was a student people were giving to support me, and I feel like giving back is a way for me to thank Mary Hardin-Baylor for what was done for me. “

PHILANTHROPY | SPRING 2012

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Waco, TX Permit No. 1519

900 College Street • Belton, Texas 76513

More students major in nursing than any other major at UMHB. In the fall of 2011, 682 students were declared nursing majors.