$1.8M recently pledged to MSU Foundation

The contributions include $675,000 for academic purposes and $1.1 million for intercollegiate athletics, most of which is for JQH Arena. MSU officials announced earlier this week that the school had so far raised more than $7 million for the arena, which should be completed by the 2008–09 basketball season.

Recent major gifts to the foundation include:

• Bob Noble’s commitment to support improvements to the art and design facility, which will move to the Brick City development in downtown Springfield in August;

• Bank of America’s $125,000 gift to build a laboratory and make facility additions at the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center;

• The Sunderland Foundation of Kansas City’s gift to fund facility improvements and equipment for MSU’s industrial management department;

• Agriculture alumnus William K. Berry’s contribution for the conference room in Karls Hall, which houses the agriculture department;

• Errett and Pat Sechler’s significant addition to the Sechler and Welker Families Vocal Music Scholarship Fund;

• The Jim D. Morris family’s contribution to establish the Jim D. Morris Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the Turner Family Practice Court at Hammons Student Center;

• MSU Athletics Director Bill Rowe and three anonymous donors’ contribution to help support the Athletics Hall of Fame, which will be part of JQH Arena;

• Prestressed Casting and its owner Bill Johnson’s contribution to support the design and construction of the plaza surrounding the arena’s entrance; and

• The McQueary family of Springfield’s contribution to support construction of home team locker rooms in the arena.