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Making It Official
The first official announcement
heralding the launch of the public
phase of the “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” campaign took place at a
press conference on Oct. 9, 2009,
during Homecoming weekend. Then
the energy began to build in anticipation
of the formal events taking
place later that same day. Attendees
mingled at a reception held in the
Hub, the area in the SUB many
alumni will remember as the Quiet
Lounge, and then moved across the
hall for an elegant banquet in the
Georgian Room.
After dinner, the attendees followed
a luminary path across the Quad that
guided them to the Ophelia Parrish
Performance Hall for the most
exciting part of the celebration.
Inside Truman’s newest performance
hall in the University’s fine arts
facility, Larry Moore, a 1967 Truman
alumnus and news anchor for
KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo.,
served as master of ceremonies for
the celebratory event which also
included the Golden Alumni
Ceremony, the Athletic Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony and recognition
of Truman’s Homecoming honorees.
“Tonight is a very special night in the
history of Truman State University as
we announce the University’s first
ever comprehensive campaign,” said
Moore. “This inaugural campaign
seeks to capitalize on our rich
history and move Truman forward as
the leader in public liberal arts and
sciences education.”
Moore introduced speakers for the
evening including President Darrell
W. Krueger and Campaign Chair
Chuck Foudree, a1966 alumnus and
retired executive vice president of
Harmon Industries in Blue Springs,
Mo., who explained why the
University had embarked on the
campaign.
“All universities want the type of
bright students who come to Truman
so we are constantly in competition
for faculty, curriculum, facilities and
financial aid to lure those students to
Truman,” said Foudree. He noted
that endowments enable the
University to better serve its
students through financial aid and
scholarships and also strengthen
programs, people and facilities. “We
have had an endowment fund for a
number of years, and it has grown,
but it’s still woefully inadequate,”
said Foudree.
After the inaugural viewing of the
campaign video, Steve Rose (’69), a
State Farm Insurance agent from
Potomac, Md., who serves as
president of the Truman State
University Foundation Board and
member of the
Campaign Steering
Committee, moved
the audience with
a poetic speech in
which he described
Truman students as
“creative scholars,
enthusiastic, selfmotivated,
focused,
thinkers, bright,
diverse, ambitious,
deserving…the best.”
Rose then rallied the crowd with a
booming countdown as a curtain
dropped to unveil the campaign total.
As of Dec. 21, 2009, gifts designated
to the “Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign totaled $19,100,000, and
over the next 18 months, alumni and
friends will be hearing more about
the campaign as the University
makes a final push toward the
$30 million goal. The
University will be
hosting regional
campaign events
around the country
throughout 2010.
For more
information on the
campaign, visit
http://campaign.
truman.edu. •
President
Darrell W.
Krueger
CAMPAIGN
GIFTS
Steve Rose Makes
$200,000 Gift to
Inspire Performing
Arts Students
Steve Rose
(on left) and
James Severns
Although his career
path led to a rewarding
career as a State Farm
Insurance agent, Steve
Rose’s affinity for the
theatre has never
diminished. A staunch
supporter of his alma
mater, Rose recently
made a $200,000 gift
commitment to Truman State University’s
“Bright Minds Bright Futures” campaign to
establish the Steve Rose Endowed Performing
Arts Scholarship. The scholarship, which is
designed to expand educational opportunities
for Truman students interested in the
performing arts, serves as a tribute to James
G. Severns, one of Rose’s former professors.
A member of the Class of 1969, Rose received
a bachelor of science in business administration
with minors in psychology and theatre arts
from Truman. After graduating, he began his
career with State Farm as a claims representative
and was appointed as a State Farm agent
in 1972. Rose celebrated his 40th year with the
company this year.
An actor at heart, Rose is a member of the
Screen Actors Guild. He resides in Potomac,
Md., and has appeared in several motion
pictures, television shows, and in commercials
shot in the Washington/Baltimore area.
Rose currently serves as chair of the Truman
State University Foundation Board of Directors
and is a member of the “Bright Minds Bright
Futures” Campaign Steering Committee.
Previously, he served on Truman’s Alumni
Board of Directors, and he is a member of the
President’s Circle and the John R. Kirk Society.
In 2006, Rose served as the Commencement
speaker, and that same year, he was honored
with the President’s Leadership Award, one of
the University’s most prestigious awards. In
2003, he was recognized with Truman’s
Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
Rose’s most recent gift to Truman includes a
$100,000 pledge payable over a period of five
years and a $100,000 charitable gift annuity.
The Steve Rose Endowed Performing Arts
Scholarship fund will also be fortified with
matching gifts from State Farm Insurance.
Winter 2009-2010 15