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о announces new endowments for faculty and student support

Published November 30, 2016

MONROE, La. — о Foundation (о Foundation) announced that is has established new endowments for faculty and students.

The endowments created will amount to $4.4 million, with $2.64 million coming from private donations (60%) and a $1.76 million match (40%) from the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund, pending approval.

“Support for research becomes increasingly important as о matures further as a doctoral university,” said Susan Chappell, Executive Director of the о Foundation and Alumni Relations. “With state funding for higher education decreasing, the о Foundation has been contributing to this support by seeking private donations that establish endowments for faculty chairs, faculty professorships, and graduate student scholarships. We have also been working to make sure that higher education remains broadly accessible by seeking private donations for endowed first-generation undergraduate scholarships.”

The Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund (BoRSF) has several programs whose purpose is to “improve the quality of education…[and] enhance economic development.” These programs add state funds to private donations, creating greater endowments. This year’s submissions of requests and proposals to these programs consists of two endowed chairs, five endowed professorships (added to eight others submitted in prior years and pending matches), seven first-generation scholarships, and eight superior graduate student scholarships.  

Dr. Eric Pani, Vice President of Academic Affairs, credits Chappell, Joe Jacobs, President of the о Foundation Board of Trustees, and о President Dr. Nick J. Bruno for establishing and maintaining effective communications so that the fund-raising efforts of the о Foundation are coordinated with the needs of the University. 

“We are very grateful for the о Foundation development officers and Trustees who made the requests that resulted in these donations and the Foundation staff who supported those efforts,” said Pani. “We also thank the generous donors who make possible greater endowments supporting faculty and students at о.”

Deans Sandra Lemoine (Arts, Education and Sciences), Ron Berry (Business and Social Sciences), and Benny Blaylock (Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences) were instrumental in identifying the programs supported by the endowments and many faculty members wrote proposals for the chairs and graduate student scholarships. 

о thanks the following donors–most of them alumni–whose generosity has underwritten these funds:

Doll and Henry Biedenharn Family
Linda and Nick Bruno                        
Ernest and Sophia Holloway
Regions Bank                                                      
Linda and Joe Holyfield                     
T. and Dollie John
Iberia Bank                                                          
Jan and Gary Luffey                           
Anna Meyer
David and Sharon Turrentine                         
Toby Bancroft                                     
Paul and Mary Fink
Progressive Bank                               
Carol Christopher                               
Kitty DeGree Foundation
Clark G. Boyce                                                    
Milton and Bertha Gorn                  
R. D. Castles
Oscar Cahn & Kurt & Irmgard Fisher            
Elsie Webb                                           
Ted D. Price
James Thom, IV                                  
Ken and Mary Renwick                    
Sal Scaccia
The о Foundation