|
Fall
2004
For the Love of Music
To honor the
family’s generosity, CMU’s Music Building Recital Hall has been
renamed The Staples Family Concert Hall. The Staples family gift
will help fund music events at the hall and support its continued
operation.
“This is a chance to support
something we love,” said Sam Staples, the former mayor of
Birmingham. “We go to as many concerts as we can … We’ve been very
involved with the university. It’s meant a lot to me. It’s so close
and has a lot to offer.”
His wife, Trudy, echoed his
enthusiasm for CMU music.
“We have always been interested in
music,” she said. “We just love
listening to beautiful music, especially that big organ played by
(CMU professor of music) Steve Egler.” Gift benefits community  Sam
Staples
said
it was
important to him that the gift be used for more general purposes
– so the benefit would go to all students and the community.
“He was very interested in doing
something to help as many
students as possible,” said Sue Ann Martin, dean of the College of
Communication and Fine Arts. “They are just a wonderful family and
very public-service oriented.”
The Staples family moved to Mount
Pleasant in 1981 after Sam Staples purchased the Rosebush Elevator
and later became involved in commercial real estate and a
distributing company.
Sam Staples’ mother was a pianist and Trudy Staples’ father was an organist - which may have inspired their musical appreciation and the talents of their daughters. Their daughter Karen studied with Egler and got a master’s degree in organ from CMU. She is an accomplished organist and music director of Chapel Lane Presbyterian Church in Midland. Their daughter Jean Staples Prout plays the flute and is an administrator at the Mount Pleasant Christian Academy. She also received a master’s degree from CMU. Karen and Jean, along with their brother, Dan Staples, all live in the Mount Pleasant area. “They can all benefit from this gift as well,” Sam Staples said. CMU Masters Series The gift also will provide funding support for CMU Masters Series concerts, which represent an important part of the School of Music’s mission, said Randi L’Hommedieu, School of Music director and professor of music education. “We need to have international and national artists on campus to share their expertise and help inspire our kids to the highest achievement,” L’Hommedieu said. “And The Staples Family Concert Hall is our showplace for the School of Music.”
Less than a year after Central Michigan University launched the public phase of its first comprehensive capital campaign, donors already have contributed more than $44 million. “The campaign progress to date has exceeded our expectations,” said Roger Kesseler, ’58, ’89, campaign chair. “However, we have a ways to go. We hope to not only meet this goal, but to surpass it.”
Volunteers key to success Much of the campaign’s success is due to the more than 130 volunteers, including a 24-member national steering committee. Alumni volunteers have helped garner support across the state and nation by hosting events throughout Michigan, as well as California, Texas, and Arizona. Of the $44 million raised toward the $50 million goal, $11 million has been contributed to support new endowments that support student scholarships, faculty development, and research. More than $17 million has been raised for capital improvements, while ongoing and special programs at CMU have received nearly $16 million in support. “We are pleased with the progress of the campaign so far,” said Michael Leto, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations. “Our hope is to build upon this momentum, exceed our goal, and continue working toward meeting the needs of CMU’s students and faculty.”
Student scholarships, faculty research and chairs primary areas
of focus While CMU is nearing the overall $50 million goal set for the campaign, each academic unit continues to work toward individual goals. Large capital projects set higher goals for Athletics, Public Broadcasting, and The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. “I continue to be amazed with the pace of positive change at CMU,” said President Michael Rao. “While there is no question that many of our advances are due to the increased generosity of the university’s donors, significant strides remain to be achieved for this great university. To be more competitive nationally and to attract national caliber students and professors, the university must continue to increase its resources.” Support for faculty research and endowed faculty chairs continue to be areas of focus, Leto said. There also is so much more need in the area of student scholarships. “As we look to the future, there is going to be less and less support coming to the university from the state,” he said. “Student scholarships will continue to become even more important.” Individual divisions progress toward goals Below is a summary of each division’s progress as of March 31, 2004. College of Business Administration. The business college has achieved more than 80 percent of its $6.8 million campaign goal. The CBA will maintain its momentum to surpass the $2.8 million goal set for student scholarships and to enhance efforts in the area of faculty research and development. College of Communication and Fine Arts. CCFA is half way toward its $3.5 million campaign goal. Toward that effort, over $1 million has been raised for ongoing and special programs. Campaign staff and volunteers will continue to work toward raising $2.5 million to increase support for student scholarships and faculty development. College of Education and Human Services. CEHS has achieved nearly 85 percent of its $4 million campaign goal. Nearly $2 million has been raised to support ongoing and special programs. Student scholarship support is within 77 percent of its goal. Faculty support will continue to be a key campaign priority. Off-Campus Programs. Formerly the College of Extended Learning, Off-Campus Programs have raised $659,661, nearly 44 percent toward its goal of $1.5 million. Efforts will continue to increasing support for off-campus student scholarships. College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Overall, donors have contributed nearly $1.8 million toward the college’s campaign goal of $3.5 million. CHSBS has achieved nearly 70 percent of its goal in support of endowed professorships and chairs and 60 percent for health-related programs. Endowed student scholarships have reached nearly 40 percent of the goal. College of Science and Technology. CST has raised $2.4 million, nearly half of its $5 million goal. Campaign volunteers will continue to work to raise $1.5 million for student scholarships and $1 million for faculty teaching and research support. The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. Although the college successfully raised $10 million to complete construction of the new $50 million Health Professions Building, naming opportunities are still available in the building. The college’s remaining $3 million goal will provide student scholarship support, faculty and program endowment, and ongoing and special program support. Athletics. Athletics’ goal of $11 million includes $8 million to construct a university Events Center that will become a central rallying place for indoor events, concerts, and commencements as well as the cornerstone of an improved Division IA basketball program, while another $3 million will support ongoing and special programs and financial support for athletes. Public Broadcasting. Public Broadcasting has achieved 61% of its $9,500,000 goal for ongoing and special programs support. In addition, 52% of the $2 million Digital Television goal has been raised. Public Broadcasting staff and volunteers will continue to work toward these goals in order to increase the quality of programming, equipment, and the strength and clarity of the television and radio signals. Libraries. Since the start of the campaign, over $2 million, or 84 percent of the goal, has been achieved for CMU Libraries. Of those gifts, over $1.6 million has been received in support of program endowment and the dean’s fund. The campaign will continue efforts to raise support for the collection excellence endowment and Clarke Historical Library.
back to top This is one reason the retired CMU political science professor enrolled in a course at the newly renovated and expanded Charles V. Park Library to learn how to fully access its state-of-the-art technology-based services. By the end of the class, Dr. Stratford was pleased and comfortable using the new facilities. To show his appreciation and support, he gave a gift to the CMU Libraries to provide unrestricted support to meet areas of greatest need. A portion of his gift also provides funds to bolster political science and philosophy journal purchases. “Dr. Stratford’s gift is a thoughtful and very beneficial way of supporting areas of his particular academic interest and also supporting the libraries more broadly,” says Thomas Moore, dean of CMU Libraries. “We are very grateful.” Expression of gratitude Perhaps most personally meaningful to Dr. Stratford is that his gift is recognized permanently on a plaque outside the very classroom where he attended the library course. Dr. Stratford continues to be a frequent visitor to the library, a place he says is the lifeblood of CMU. “Libraries are at the heart of the transmission of information, learning, the creation of new scholarship, and the exchange of vital ideas,” he said. “I have always been drawn to libraries for those reasons.” His gift also is an expression of gratitude for the opportunities that have been available to him throughout his life. “I went to public schools for the majority of my education,” Dr. Stratford said. “Much of the cost for this came from public taxes. I like the idea of contributing to the same public education from which I was a beneficiary.” The large windows and abundant natural lighting make spending time in Park Library very enjoyable, says Dr. Stratford. “Libraries are designed to let little light in, often because of concern about light damage to books,” he said. “This is the best library I’ve been in and offers wonderful daylight. I like the periodical room with its great view of campus.”
A $1.3 million gift of specialized business information software is ensuring CMU’s place as a viable member of the SAP University Alliances Program. SAP America has given CMU a SAP Business Intelligence (SAP BI) software license that enables the warehousing of data that is key to targeting the most desirable data from the SAP information system, says Frank Andera, professor of business information systems at CMU. SAP America is a subsidiary of SAP AG, the world’s largest inter-enterprise software company and the third-largest software supplier overall. “The SAP BI software gift is another example of the generous and continuous support CBA has received from SAP,” said Dan Vetter, interim dean of the College of Business Administration. “Our SAP program offers students the opportunity to utilize state-of-the-art software to learn and apply enterprise resource planning solutions for business, while making them extremely marketable to employers.” Increasing student employment skills The SAP BI application operates by pulling data out of SAP R/3 software and providing tools to help users analyze the resulting information. Millions of transactions are stored in the data warehouse, and through SAP BI users can analyze and compare data for better decision making. Business students now have access to more state-of-the-art software that will help them gather and analyze statistical information in the best possible way. “With this additional knowledge and business applications experience, they become more valuable to their future employer,” Andera said. Interdisciplinary applications The SAP BI application supports employees across the company including production, sales, finance, accounting, purchasing, logistics, human resources, supply chain management, and others. “Because we now have this additional software available to our various disciplines in our College of Business Administration, our faculty can begin utilizing this software in such disciplines as logistics, supply chain management, finance, accounting, human resources, MIS, and others,” Andera said. SAP America’s corporate headquarters is located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1972, SAP is the recognized leader in providing collaborative business solutions for all types of industries in every major market. The company, headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, employs nearly 30,000 people in more than 50 countries.
Alumnus entrepreneur establishes
endowed business scholarship Jim Cronin, ’61, soared with an entrepreneurial spirit that guided him successfully for more than 30 years as an on-the-go franchise developer and business consultant. Now retired, the Detroit resident has had time to catch his breath and renew his ties to another significant part of his life – Central Michigan University. Cronin has named CMU in his estate plans to establish an endowed scholarship program for CMU students. The James R. Cronin Endowed Scholarship will be available for undergraduate students in the College of Business Administration. In addition to his gift, Cronin is supporting the New Vision of Excellence Campaign as a member of the Southeast Michigan Regional Campaign Committee. Right educational environment After graduating from University of Detroit Jesuit High School, Cronin attended the University of Detroit for a semester, but said he really wanted to try something different. During a visit to CMU with a friend in 1958, he realized where he wanted to be. “I was drawn in by the attractiveness of the city and of campus with all of its natural beauty and trees,” said Cronin. Cronin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration more than 40 years ago when most of his peers were going to school to pursue education or to work for someone else, he says. Cronin knew that becoming an entrepreneur was the only way for him. In the enterprising spirit of men and women
such as Cronin, CMU’s College of Business Administration has since
established the LaBelle Entrepreneurial Center, the first of its
kind in the state of Michigan. As a CMU student, Cronin became a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon (now Phi Sigma Kappa) and later served as president of the fraternity. He fondly recalls his time with his fraternity brothers. “Those days mean more to me now,” he said. So much more, that Cronin initiated a 25th reunion for his fraternity in 1986. Since then, they have joined a larger group of alumni – graduates from the 1950s and ’60s – who meet every three years in northern Michigan to play golf and reminisce. “When we get together it’s like I am 19 years old again,” says Cronin.
Many Roles, same ultimate goal As a CMU Graduate, Trustee, Campaign Chair, Kesseler is Committed to Advancing the University When Roger Kesseler was appointed to the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees in 1991, he realized immediately that CMU was seriously underfunded and in need of greater private support to compete with other state and regional universities. “We had the lowest appropriations, lowest per student funding, the lowest tuition,” Kesseler said. “We knew we had to work on this and increasing private funding was the one thing we could do something about.”
Fundraising focus Through the support of alumni and friends, the New Vision of Excellence Campaign will significantly increase endowed support to provide a greater number of student scholarships and heighten academic standards. Support also will provide greater resources for faculty research and creativity, strengthen ongoing and special programs, and enhance the campus environment with advanced facilities and technology. During fiscal year 1990-1991, Kesseler’s first year as a trustee, CMU raised $2,931,934 in private support. In fiscal year 2003-2004, private support totaled $13,951,369 and the overall campaign had raised more than $44 million. Although the campaign goal is in sight, Kesseler remains cautiously optimistic. “The campaign progress to date has exceeded our expectations, however, we have a ways to go,” he said. “We hope to not only meet our goal, but to surpass it. “This will be the first major campaign at the university that has been successful, and we will use this experience to build future successful campaigns,” Kesseler said.
Establishing partnerships “As we connect with more and more alumni of CMU, they will realize the value of the university to the state and the region,” Kesseler said. In fact, he stressed, engaging alumni is the key to current and future success. “There are a lot of very successful CMU alumni who have not recently been connected to CMU,” Kesseler said. “This campaign is helping to reconnect them, and I find that very satisfying.” Maintaining alumni relationships Kesseler understands how alumni can become disconnected with their alma mater. After graduation in 1958, he lost touch with CMU, instead focusing on a successful career and growing family. In 1958, he joined The Dow Chemical Company in Midland and then in 1971 was transferred to Freeport, Texas, as chief cost accountant. He was named controller of Dow's Texas Division in 1972. It wasn’t until he moved back to Midland in 1979, after being named controller of the company, that he renewed his ties with CMU. That reconnection was forged when Bob Rulong, former CMU director of development, asked him to join the CMU development board. “I was asked to become a member of the CMU development board and to help raise money for the Applied Business Studies Complex,” Kesseler said. “It was during that time that I made my first substantial gift to CMU, and, in fact, the largest single gift we made as a family (at the time).” Kesseler family legacy at CMU Future generations will know Kesseler and his wife, Phyllis, through their exceptional commitment to the university. Several areas of campus are named for them, including The Roger L. and Phyllis J. Kesseler Finance and Accounting Resource Center in the Applied Business Complex, the newly constructed Kesseler Hall, as well as four endowed Centralis scholarships they created for students from Kesseler’s hometown of Grayling, Michigan. “Now someone comes to CMU from Grayling every year under a full-ride Centralis scholarship. It makes us feel good,” Kesseler said. “Grayling students – all students – need some financial help to attend college. “We put all four of our kids through college. For us, this is like continuing to have four kids in college all the time.” The opportunity to give something back has made the New Vision of Excellence Campaign important to his entire family. “Personally, this is something special for our children. As a family, we are committed to giving back to CMU, which provided us with our start,” Kesseler said.
The opportunity to reach CMU's potential in each of these four important
areas has inspired an unreserved belief that CMU's traditional strengths
comprehensive undergraduate education and niche-area applied graduate
programs provide an outstanding impetus and foundation for visionary
progress at this moment in the university's history. |
SAP
Software gift enhances cmu business programs
 |
| requires quicktime |
| [Archived_Newsletters/includes/inc_footer.htm] |