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A
purple-and-white
balloon archway
created a grand
entrance to the
Student Union
Building (SUB)
signaling something
big was happening on
campus during
Homecoming 2009. The
sight of Truman’s very own
Jazz Trio performing just
outside the SUB confirmed that
this must indeed be a
momentous occasion. These
special touches were all part of
the fanfare that marked the
public launch of the University’s
biggest fundraising campaign.
More than 350 attendees joined
in on the official kickoff
celebration announcing the
public phase of the “Bright
Minds Bright Futures” campaign,
the University’s first comprehensive
campaign.
With a strategic plan that sets
forth a vision of becoming the
premier liberal arts and sciences
university in the nation, Truman
State University has set the bar
high once again. However, as a
public institution with limited
resources and steadily decreasing
state support, additional resource
development is needed to help
Truman reach this lofty goal. The
University’s budget is comprised
of funding from the state of
Missouri, student tuition, and
private gifts, and over the past
decade, the state funding has
dwindled from 75 percent to less
than 50 percent – a downward
trend that is likely to continue.
Embracing the responsibility to
raise more private funding, the
University has launched the
“Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign with the goal of raising
$30 million. “This campaign is
important to Truman’s future
and will help provide the margin
of excellence resources that only
private gifts can achieve,” said
University President Darrell W.
Krueger.
Strategic
Investments
The $30 million fundraising
effort began to take shape in
2005 starting with a collaborative
planning process to
determine the top fundraising
priorities for the campaign.
Based on input from campus
faculty and staff, as well as key
University stakeholders, the
priorities selected for the
campaign include $7.5 million for
scholarships, $7.5 million for
student enrichment and
academic program support, $2
million for faculty support, $3
million for athletics, and $10
million for legacy gifts.
In July of 2006, the Office of
Advancement began building
support for these priorities
during the campaign’s quiet
phase, and over the last three
years, the campaign has attracted
a number of supporters who
have made significant gifts. The
largest gift to date is a $2.87
million cash gift from the
Holman family for study-abroad
stipends, distinguished speaker
series and graduate scholarships.
Squire Paul Holman was a
custodian for the college’s
facilities for 17 years, and during
that time, he and his wife,
Meeda, made an immeasurable
difference in the lives of
students, faculty and staff. The
Holman family gift is the secondlargest
gift in the University’s
history; the largest gift came
from the late Linden Lyle
Ingraham, a successful banker
who left Truman a $3.44 million
gift through his estate.
(continued on page 15)
CAMPAIGN GIFTS
$500,000 Gift from
Greg Gerhardt to Support
Undergraduate Research
Greg A. Gerhardt, one of the nation’s
foremost researchers on Parkinson’s
disease, continues to make his mark on
Truman State University by giving back to
his alma mater. Noting his appreciation for
the preparation he received at Truman,
Gerhardt recently made a generous gift
commitment to boost the undergraduate research
experience for Truman students. Gerhardt's multi-year
pledge of $500,000 will fund the Greg A. Gerhardt
Summer Science Research Fellowship for Excellence.
Truman prides itself on the research opportunities
available to its undergraduates, and the fellowship
established by Gerhardt will augment summer research
projects for undergraduate science students. Designed to
perpetuate a tradition of engaged student-faculty
undergraduate research, the endowed fund will support
investigative, creative, and scholarly activities designed to
advance the knowledge and understanding of targeted
science projects.
A 1979 alumnus, Gerhardt received his bachelor of science
degree in chemistry from Truman magna cum laude, and
he was honored as Truman's 2009 Alumnus of the Year.
Inspired by the mentoring and encouragement he received
from Truman professors such as Dr. Kenneth Fountain and
Dr. Russell Baughman, Gerhardt decided to give back to
his alma mater. Last year, he made a major investment in
the University with a $1 million gift commitment through
his estate to create the Greg A. and Paulette C. Danielle-
Gerhardt Endowed Professorship dedicated in memory of
his late wife, Paulette.
Gerhardt resides in Nicholasville, Ky., and is a professor in
the Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology,
Neurology, Psychiatry and Electrical Engineering at the
University of Kentucky. Since 1999, he has served as
director of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease
Research Center of Excellence at the University of Kentucky
Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, Ky., and he is the
director of the Center for Microelectrode Technology.
14 Truman Review