WKU Foundation celebrates 25 years of support for University
For the past quarter century, the WKU Foundation has supported philanthropic initiatives to benefit Western Kentucky University. On July 23, 2018, the Foundation, the official repository for gifts to WKU, will hit the 25-year mark, having supported more than $133 million for students, programs and facility improvements.
Pete Mahurin (’61) was one of 11 founding members of the WKU Foundation Board of Trustees. “Prior to the early 1990s, the University had received gifts, but it had done very little to raise significant funds,” he said. “Our first fundraising initiative was to raise support for a portion of the new health and activities center. Raymond Preston, a successful alumnus from Henderson, Ky., gave us about two-thirds of what we needed. We passed the hat, so to speak, and got the rest of it. As far as I know, that was the first real fundraising effort at WKU.”
“In the last 25 years, the WKU Foundation has received more than $194 million in gifts from 420,000+ alumni, friends, corporations and foundations,” said Randy Schumaker, the most recent Past-Chair of the WKU Foundation Board of Trustees. “This has translated into a current endowment of $87 million, with $133.4 million in expenses paid for WKU,” he said.
Kim Menke (’85), current Chair of the WKU Foundation Board of Trustees, said one of the most lasting legacies of the WKU Foundation will be in the form of funding to support building programs. “Fourteen new buildings and facility enhancements on campus have been made possible through private gifts to the WKU Foundation,” he said. “These include the Augenstein Alumni Center, the Chandler Memorial Chapel, the Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium renovation and the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center.”
John Paul Blair (’92), WKU Foundation President (Interim), said donors can be assured that their gifts through the Foundation will be responsibly invested and distributed for their intended purposes. “In addition, a volunteer Board of Trustees who are experts in business and finance commit their time, resources and talent to recommend sound investment strategies and provide valuable perspectives on the needs and priorities of WKU,” he said. “We are grateful to the many donors who have invested in the life of the University and to the 126 Board of Trustee members and 11 chairs who have led the WKU Foundation during the past 25 years.”
WKU President Timothy C. Caboni (’94) said the WKU Foundation has played a significant role in the growth and advancement of WKU over the past 25 years. “We appreciate every single donor whose generous contribution has helped the university to inspire innovation in the classroom, transform the lives of students, and elevate the communities we serve.”
Facts on the WKU Foundation:
• Since 1993, the Foundation’s endowed assets have grown from zero to $87.3 million.
• The WKU Foundation has received more $194.3 million from 420,000+ individual gifts to WKU in the last 25 years.
• Over the last quarter century, the WKU Foundation has provided $133.4 million in expenses on behalf of WKU.
• The WKU Foundation has invested $15.2 million in WKU salary support, $13.5 million in student scholarships and $35.8 million in new buildings
and facility improvements.
• Over the past 25 years, the WKU Foundation Board of Trustees has been led by 126 different board members, including 11 chairs, from 13
states.
Building, beautification and renovation projects supported by the WKU Foundation:
• Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center
• Augenstein Alumni Center
• Chandler Memorial Chapel
• Columbarium at Chandler Memorial Chapel
• Confucius Institute
• Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky
• Greek Housing Support (seven new housing projects)
• Guthrie Fountain
• Guthrie Courtyard and Bell Tower
• Hattie L. Preston Intramural-Sports Complex
• Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium
• Paul Orberson Baseball Clubhouse
• Raymond B. Preston Health & Activities Center
• Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex
• Zuheir Sofia-Dero Downing Building
For more information, please contact John Paul Blair at (270) 745-6208.
Posted: July 17, 2018