CA M PA I G N N E W S L E T T E R SPRING 2018 • VOLUME 2 • No. 2
Dear Friends, Congratulations! We want to share great news with you. The University of North Alabama has met its’ campaign goal of $35 million in record time – a year earlier than projected – due to the many individuals who donated to the campaign effort. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! We remain honored to have been asked to chair the campaign five years ago, and it is one of the best things we have ever done. UNA people are generous ones, and that has shown in the many areas of campus which have benefitted from the funds collected or pledged. We have seen a significant increase in scholarships awarded to students, in faculty programs and research, and in capital projects. We have seen an increase in alumni giving, and in the total amount of funds raised. The university is clearly on track to move into the future with new expectations. We commend the Advancement staff for working diligently to promote our University and raise gifts to fund special projects, scholarships and buildings. We also appreciate the great work of the Foundation Board of Directors who protect our funds and make sure they are stewarded wisely and appropriately. And last but not least, we appreciate the strong leadership of President Ken Kitts, who has been a very active leader of the campaign, as well as contributor. We also greatly appreciate the role of Dr. Debbie Shaw, who has been a true leader in this campaign. Together, we can do great things for UNA, which we are proud to continue supporting as we end this particular campaign. Thank you for your support and gifts! Don & Laura ‘55 Harrison Chairs, Build the Pride Campaign Cincinnati, Ohio
THANKS
A MILLION . . .
WE MADE IT! Photo by Butler Studio
Coby Brubaker Scholarship Jocelyn Barnes Senior, Communications “Thank you for everything that you do and give. The opportunities that you have made possible for me by donating to my education have impacted my life in ways that I never thought imaginable. I’m grateful that you believed in my abilities, and the ability of this University to enhance students to be able to make a difference. My education means so much to me, my family, and the family I will have one day; you have invested in all aspects of my present and future by creating scholarship opportunities for students like me. Thank you so much!”
Dear Members of the UNA Family, It is with a full heart of joy I exclaim a vibrant “THANK YOU” to all of you who supported UNA during our Build the Pride comprehensive campaign, which began October 2013 and officially ended April 21, 2018, when the $35 million goal was exceeded. Every donor needs to know that his or her gift truly made a difference, no matter how small. Donations made to UNA include initial gifts, which started the design and building process of the new nursing building, named for Laura Harrison ’55, as well as the naming of the Anderson College of Nursing. They also included several gifts toward technology, student scholarships, study abroad programs, professorships, faculty research, and many other worthwhile projects. This campaign has enabled UNA to progress in numerous areas. This is due to the generosity of donors like you, who believe in our mission and in affecting the lives of students. The Advancement staff at UNA, which includes four primary departments – Development, Alumni Relations, Communications and Marketing, and Financial and Database Services, who work hard every day to serve our University – deserve much thanks for their dedication to the campaign. The board of directors of the UNA Foundation are to be highly commended for not only their financial gifts but for their volunteer service. They oversee the management of our Foundation funds and the policies for investing. The board also assists in fundraising efforts, and I remain very grateful for their service. Harry Smith ’64, our Chair, has
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been a tireless leader of the Foundation the last two years, and he deserves the accolades, which should come his way for the success of this campaign. Last, but certainly not least, I credit the leadership of university President Ken Kitts for closing out this campaign in a way that makes me very proud to be a graduate – the goal has been reached a year earlier than projected. Dr. Kitts has provided strong leadership, and been an active member of the Foundation board of directors. I also credit former university president Bill Cale for his positive role in the early stages of the campaign, which was significant.
UNA is an excellent institution for higher learning, and it is an exciting place to be for students embarking on a college career. Many of us have similar stories of how the University successfully influenced our lives, and the campaign was a great time to give back. We hope you continue to give back, to make UNA one of your charitable priorities for the future, as even greater things await us with your continued support. Much thanks and Roar Lions! Dr. Debbie Shaw ‘82 Vice President for Advancement & Executive Director UNA Foundation
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BUILDING WILL BE NAMED AFTER ALUMNUS The science and technology building has been named the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building after Dr. Mitchell Burford ’51, UNA’s largest individual private donor with gifts totaling more than $4 million. Burford graduated from UNA in 1951 with a biology degree. He completed his medical education in Memphis, Tennessee. Burford was a longtime pathologist at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Alabama. “This honor is very appropriate because of his love and support for science and technology,” Dr. Debbie Shaw ’82, Vice-President for Advancement, said. The naming ceremony will be held on June 18, 2018 and more details will be available soon.
Dear Alumni & Friends, On behalf of the UNA Foundation board of directors, I sincerely thank you for your gifts to our great University during the Build the Pride campaign, which began October of 2013. Together we have met our campaign goal of raising over $35 million! Your generosity speaks volumes as it relates to your support and commitment to the University of North Alabama. Your gifts have had, continue to have, and will have in the future a significant impact on the University’s goal to strive for excellence in everything we do. As a Foundation, we take great care to be good stewards of all funds we receive. We are also donors, and taking the necessary steps to be transparent and to invest our funds in the best possible manner are priorities. The Foundation will continue to raise funds for the betterment of UNA, so our work is never done. But we will take a moment to celebrate this great achievement, and to thank each and every one of you who chose to give. I am grateful for your giving spirit and dedication to UNA. Roar Lions, Harry Smith ‘64 Chair, UNA Foundation Board of Directors 3
THANKS
A MILLION . . .
SPORTSMAN’S CLUB PRESENTS
$100,000 Fred Hendon Endowed Scholarship Dustin Phillips Senior, Elementary Education “The Fred Hendon Endowed Scholarship is an honor I am grateful to receive. By helping to pay for my education, this scholarship allows me the opportunity to focus on my passions of teaching individuals with disabilities and serving my community. Since they have donated the funds for me to attend the University of North Alabama, I feel a moral obligation to donate my time and service to others to show my appreciation. This scholarship motivates me to give back to the community and university because our donors are making an investment in my life.”
CHECK TO UNA ATHLETICS
Following a record-breaking year in financial support, the UNA Sportsman’s Club, the official athletic booster organization of the University of North Alabama, has donated $100,000 to UNA’s athletic program. UNA Sportsman’s Club President Johnny Simpson presented Athletic Director Mark Linder with a ceremonial check at UNA’s home basketball game against Valdosta State Jan. 27. The donation is the largest single-year gift by the Sportsman’s Club to UNA since the organization was created in 1966. Giving to the UNA Sportsman’s Club saw a 44.4 percent increase in 2017-18 to a new record of $156,790. “We appreciate the efforts of the Sportsman’s Club, its board and Athletics Annual Giving Officer Megan Lovelace, who is our staff liaison to the Sportsman’s Club, for such a wonderful year of giving,” said Athletic Director Mark Linder. “The Sportsman’s Club and its board made some structural changes this year and those changes assisted the club in raising additional revenue.” Linder said the funds will assist the department with facility upgrades and the various sports coaches in their operating budgets.
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SUNSERI SPEAKER SERIES Thanks to the generous support of Dr. David Sunseri ’98, UNA is privileged to have the endowed Sunseri Speaker Series, which was established in 2016 within the UNA College of Arts and Sciences. Sunseri received his B.S. in Chemistry from UNA in 1998 and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Florida State University in 2003. The series, established in memory of Jennifer Leigh Sunseri, focuses on the integration of the arts and creativity with the sciences to drive innovation. Past series have covered various topics, with the most recent featuring a “Women in STEM” panel discussion last October.
The spring 2018 speaker series, which will be held on April 26th, will feature Maryn McKenna. McKenna is an independent journalist and author who specializes in public health, global health and food policy. She is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, has a master’s degree with highest honors from Northwestern University, and is the recipient of numerous journalism awards. This series is open to both the campus and the community.
Ann Huckaba’s
500,000
Gift of $
PROVIDED TWO ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Ann J. Huckaba
Officials with the University of North Alabama Foundation announced that the University was awarded a total of $500,000 for two separate endowed professorships: The George Merida Huckaba Endowed Professorship of Nursing and the George Merida Huckaba Endowed Professorship of Arts and Sciences. These planned gifts were made possible thanks to the generosity of Ann J. Huckaba, who passed away in 2017. Huckaba served UNA for many years as a member of the University of North Alabama Foundation Board. Additionally, through the years, she showed very strong support for the philanthropic causes at UNA, including the establishment of the two professorships in honor of her late father-in-law. Huckaba has certainly left a visible impact on UNA, as these new endowed professorships will give the University the latitude and flexibility to recruit the best and brightest faculty candidates nationally and internationally. Her generosity will allow us to be competitive on not just a regional level, but nationally too. 5
THE ISBELL SCHOLAR PROGRAM A SERVICE OPPORTUNITY FOR RETIRED UNA EMPLOYEES
University employees who are near retirement may submit a request to their immediate supervisor to be designated as an Isbell Scholar. This program allows employees an opportunity to be employed one additional year after retirement for the purpose of establishing an endowment fund to support the mission of the University.
Dr. Raymond Isbell
Dr. Raymond Isbell first initiated the idea of contributing volunteer service after retirement in lieu of salary in 1997. In 2008, the program of funding scholarships in retirement was formalized and guidelines were developed. In 2011 the program was renamed after Dr. Isbell.
OUR NEWEST ISBELL SCHOLARS Congratulations to Ms. Donna Thompson on becoming UNA’s first staff employee Isbell Scholar. Ms. Thompson began working at UNA in 2004 as an Administrative Assistant in the College of Nursing. In 2010, she began working as a Library Public Services Associate. Through her service as an Isbell Scholar, she established the Thompson, Walter, and Littlejohn Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship will benefit students majoring in Culinary, Nutrition, and Hospitality Management with a concentration in Culinary Arts.
Dr. Donald Roush began his teaching career in the Department of Biology at UNA in 1989. He retired in the spring of 2017 and was granted Professor Emeritus status. Dr. Roush’s service as an Isbell Scholar will benefit students majoring in biology with the Dr. Donald H. and Kathleen Roush Endowed Scholarship.
For more information on the Isbell Scholar Program, contact Amanda Sherrod at asherrod@una.edu or 256.765.4861 6
Dear UNA Family, It is with great pleasure that I announce to you today, that we have done it! As of this month, UNA has exceeded the $35 million goal we set for our comprehensive campaign. And we did it one year earlier than we had initially projected. All I can say is thank you. Thank you to all the donors who helped support UNA, financially, but also with your time and talent. We needed all facets to help complete this goal and that’s exactly what you all provided.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY 20
ISBELL SCHOLARS Dr. Raymond Isbell ‘53 Dr. Charles Richmond Dr. Barry Morris
Dr. Thomas Murray Dr. Clark Mueller Dr. Alyce Brown
Dr. Thomas Osborne Dr. Walter Teaff
Dr. Teresa Leonard ‘81
Dr. Gregory Risner ‘81 Dr. William Strong
Dr. Linda Lewis ‘97
Dr. Michael Moeller Dr. Larry Adams
Ms. Cathy Malone Dr. Paul Kittle
Dr. Kerry Gatlin
Dr. Janice Myhand ‘81 Dr. Donald Roush
Ms. Donna Thompson
If you’ll remember, one of our main goals for the campaign was to elevate our nursing program by adding a state-of-theart nursing building. Thankfully, our largest campaign gifts were earmarked for this endeavor. This resulted in the Anderson College of Nursing, thanks to the families of Charles ’56 and Joel ’15 Anderson, as well as the Anderson Family Foundation. And of course, the soon to be built Laura M. Harrison Hall funded by Don and Laura ’55 Harrison, which will house the Anderson College of Nursing. The Andersons and Harrisons were integral to the completion of this campaign and we are beyond grateful. As many of you know, the Science and Technology building has become an iconic one on our campus. What many of you may not know is that a very generous alumnus, Dr. A. Mitchell Burford ’51, provided some of the equipment and programs. Dr. Burford’s generosity toward UNA is unparalleled. Due to his estate gifts, his total amount of giving reached over $4 million, which has made him UNA’s largest donor to date. Because of this the Board of Trustees recently voted to change the name of the Science and Technology building to the Mitchell Buford Science and Technology building, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. The list of goals for this campaign are more than the few listed here, but perhaps the most important of all was the goal to enhance student experiences at UNA. Your generosity has not only allowed us to start an abundance of new programs, but it also allowed many UNA students new opportunities that they may not have had. Chief among them is more access to scholarships, which will allow for more students to experience this majestic institution. And to me that is the single most important goal we can have, to spread the word about the University of North Alabama and to produce more Lions who are ready to conquer the world. I could go on and on about our accomplishments related to this campaign, but there are far too many to list. From a presidential standpoint, our alumni and friends’ capacity for generosity and their desire to see this school succeed is staggering and it humbles me daily. We are truly blessed at UNA. Again, thank you and Roar Lions! Ken Kitts President
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CA M PA I G N N E W S L E T T E R Spring 2018 • Volume 2 • Number 2 goo.gl/H84638 Fall 2017 • Volume 2 • Number 1 goo.gl/57mBFU Summer 2017 • Volume 1 • Number 3 goo.gl/RVLEuu Spring 2017 • Volume 1 • Number 2 goo.gl/H84638 Fall 2016 • Volume 1 • Number 1 goo.gl/7lL5Ve