SPRING 2015

3950 East Newman RoadJoplin, Missouri 64801-1595

(417) 625-9396www.mssu.edu/giving

Hodson named Missouri Southern Executive Vice President, Foundation director

For Dr. Brad Hodson, joining Missouri

Southern State University marked a homecoming. In February, the university announced that Hodson had been appointed Executive Vice President. He also serves as Executive Director of the Missouri Southern Foundation. Hodson earned his bachelor of science degree in economics and finance

from Missouri Southern in 1991. He and his family have remained involved with MSSU and the Missouri Southern Foundation, endowing a scholarship in his father’s name a few years ago. “It has been a privilege to return to a university that has given so much to me and my family,” Hodson said. “When Dr. Marble first approached me about this opportunity, I was excited to be included in the vision for Missouri Southern’s future. After having not been on campus for 24 years, I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the faculty, staff, students and alumni, and helping to take this institution to a new level.” He leads a newly formed division at Missouri Southern which, for the first time, aligns together offices responsible for the advancement of the university, as well as alumni and community outreach. In his new role as Executive Vice President, he oversees Admissions, University Relations and Marketing, Governmental Relations, Alumni Relations, Fundraising and Advertising Sales. Hodson was very involved as a student at Missouri Southern, taking an active role in student government and Greek life. After graduating, he earned a master’s

A limited-time scholarship initiative has been launched by the Missouri Southern Foundation to help increase the value of new, endowed scholarships for students at the university.

Under the Southern Match program, the Foundation will place an additional $10,000 from its undesignated scholarship funds into each newly endowed scholarship created. The minimum principal amount under this initiative would be $20,000 – with half coming from the donor and half from the Foundation. The donor’s name would be placed on the entire $20,000 and the income distributed from the fund would be based on the same amount. The program is limited to 20 new endowment scholarships. Having launched on April 1, the Foundation has, at press time, established nine new scholarships that have qualified for matching funds.

They are: The Dan Stengel Accounting Scholarship – established by a former student The Jim Gray Dean’s Scholarship – established by multiple contributors The Michael LaFerla Pre-Dental Scholarship – by Don and Gloria LaFerla The Matt and Tracy Flanigan International Study Scholarship The Keith and Dollie Williams Student Athlete Scholarship The Delores and Jim Honey Family Scholarship The Rod Anderson Baseball Scholarship Fund The Paul and Trula Shipman Family Scholarship The Pat C. Lipira Kinesiology Scholarship

For more information, contact Dr. Delores Honey at 417-625-9696 or Honey-D@mssu.edu.

Southern Match increases value of new, endowed scholarships

in business administration degree from Pittsburg State University in 1993 and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005. He served as Director of Development for the Eastern Michigan University College of Business from 2002-03 before becoming PSU’s Director of University Development. In 2006, he became PSU’s Vice President for University Advancement, providing oversight of fundraising, alumni relations, public relations and marketing, and career services, while also serving as president and CEO of the PSU Foundation. Hodson has been an integral part of significant university fundraising campaigns. He led the successful completion of PSU’s $120 million capital campaign – at the time, the largest campaign at a regional public university in the nation. In 2012, PSU’s gift income rose to $15.5 million – double what it had but been upon his arrival 10 years earlier. As President and CEO of the Pittsburg State University Foundation, Hodson oversaw the growth of the fund’s total assets from $36 million in 2006 to $91 million in 2014 – a 150% increase through a mix of success in major gift fundraising and endowment investment performance. For his leadership in these accomplishments, PSU received two national CASE Circle of Excellence Awards for Fundraising. In naming him to the new position, Missouri Southern President Dr. Alan Marble said Hodson is uniquely qualified to strengthen the university’s fundraising initiatives, its appeal to prospective students, and its alumni engagement. “Dr. Hodson and I have been acquainted for many years, and I am a great fan of his work,” Marble said. “His list of accomplishments speaks for itself. We’re delighted to have another Missouri Southern alum rejoin the Lion family, and we’re looking forward to a very bright future.”

Fuel your passion for education. Create your legacy to make a difference and lasting impact for MSSU students. Contact us at 417-625-9396.

A donor recognition and dedication ceremony was held April 18 at Missouri Southern’s new baseball stadium.

The unveiling of the donor wall was followed by a ribbon-cutting and dedication of Warren Turner Field – named in honor of the longtime coach and all-time wins leader in the history of MSSU baseball. A special pre-game tailgate and dinner were also held for the project’s donors. The new stadium includes amenities such as state-of-the-art synthetic turf, regulation lighting, batting cages and bullpens, fan seating for 600, a press box and modern concessions area. The $2.5 million project was made possible by a fundraising campaign by the Missouri Southern Foundation in collaboration with the MSSU Baseball Advisory Committee. A total of 160 alumni, friends and community supporters stepped up to the plate to help bring the Lions home to the new stadium. Thanks to their efforts, the stadium and the Lions’ winning season were a home run!

Donors recognized during baseball stadium

dedication

Gov. Nixon announces funding for

Reynolds Hall

Gov. Jay Nixon announced $1.5

million in funding that will be made available for renovations to Reynolds Hall during a May 6 visit to campus.

The funds – which will be matched by $1.5 million in private donations – are critical for creating a learning environment that

will prepare students for high-tech jobs after graduation. Completed in May of 1967, Reynolds was the second building to be ready for occupancy on what was then the campus of Missouri Southern State College. An expansion in 1988 nearly doubled its size (to approximately 63,000 square feet) at a time when a rapid increase in enrollment was straining the capacity of the relatively new campus. Today, Reynolds Hall houses the biology, environmental health, physical sciences and mathematics programs. The coursework offered in the building is in high demand, as it provides prerequisites to nursing and allied health students or is part of a major with a large number of students. A Master Facility Plan in 2012 listed Reynolds Hall as the building in most critical need of renovation. The funding will allow the university to renovate lab space as well as upgrades to classrooms and electrical systems. “We don’t want tomorrow’s scientists training on equipment that’s older than they are,” said Nixon.

New turf for the football field at Missouri Southern State University’s Fred G. Hughes Stadium is on the way,

thanks to a sponsorship by Mercy Hospital Joplin. A design for the new, state-of-the-art turf has already been approved and will feature Mercy’s logo on the field. A total of 120 yards in length and 70 in width, the turf is scheduled to be ready for the team to practice on in August. A crew from Byrne & Jones Construction of St. Louis began removing the old turf in May. “We are very excited to team with Mercy for this project and want to thank them for their generosity,” said Dr.

Mercy to sponsor new turf at MSSU football stadium

Unless you keep close track of obscure holidays and

observances, you probably didn’t know that August is “What Will Be Your Legacy?” month. Still, you might want to use this particular month as a useful reminder to take action on what could be one of your most important financial goals: leaving a meaningful legacy. A legacy isn’t simply a document or a bunch of numbers – it’s what you will be remembered

for, and what you have left behind that will be remembered. It’s essentially your chance to contribute positively to the future, whether that means providing financial resources for the next generation, helping those charitable organizations whose work you support, or a combination of both. To create your legacy, you’ll need to do some planning. And you can start by asking yourself a couple of key questions: What are your goals? When you think about leaving a legacy, what comes to mind? First and foremost, you may well want to leave enough money to help your own grown children meet their financial goals. After that, you probably have other things you’d like to accomplish. Perhaps you want to provide resources for your grandchildren to attend college? Or set up a scholarship at your own alma mater? Give financial support to a cultural, social, religious or scientific group? By thinking about your goals and putting them on paper, even in an informal sense, you’ll be taking the important first step in leaving the legacy you desire. How can you turn your goals into reality? If you don’t take some concrete steps, your legacy just won’t materialize. And the most important step you need to take is to create a comprehensive estate plan. Your estate plan can be quite involved, because it may involve several legal documents, such as a will, living trust, health care power of attorney, and so on. In creating these materials, you will need to work with your legal and tax advisors because estate planning is definitely not a “do-it-yourself ” endeavor. You probably shouldn’t wait until you are deep into retirement to take action on yours estate plan because developing the necessary documents and arrangements can take a fair amount of time – and you’ll want to make these preparations when you’re in good mental and physical health. Also, the longer you wait to set up your estate plan, the less likely it will be that you’ve communicated your wishes clearly to your family members, who may end up unsure about what you want and what their roles are in carrying out your plans – and that’s an outcome you certainly don’t want to see.

Your Legacy is in Your Hands

Foundation honors scholarship recipients,

donors

A reception honoring 2015 Foundation scholarship recipients and donors was held on April 13.

“It was an opportunity to thank our donors and let them know how much we appreciate their support, and to let our students know how proud we are that they qualified for these scholarships,” said Dr. Delores Honey, director of donor relations for the Missouri Southern Foundation. Each year, more than $500,000 in private scholarships is awarded through the Foundation in the form of endowed, annual and memorial scholarships. Some are created to benefit students studying in a particular field, while others may be for students from a certain geographical area, said Honey. “There are many criteria that go into how students are selected to receive the scholarships, and we couldn’t do it without our donors,” she said. “They make it possible for students to come to school here, or make it easier for them because of the financial support.”

In fact, clear communications are essential to developing a successful estate plan. You should not only tell your family members – and anyone else affected by your estate plan – what you are thinking of doing but also inform them about the professionals with whom you are working and the locations in which you are storing any vital documents, such as your will. By identifying your goals, working with the appropriate professionals to create an effective estate plan, and communicating regularly with your family members and other “key players” in your life, you can go a long way toward leaving the legacy you desire.

This column was submitted on behalf of Edward Jones by Donald Swanson, a financial advisor and member of the Foundation Board.

Alan Marble, president of Missouri Southern. “It’s another great addition to the Robert W. Plaster Sports Complex, and we can’t wait for Lions fans to fill the stands again this fall.” Jared Bruggeman, Missouri Southern’s director of athletics, said the new turf will benefit not only student-athletes, but the university and community as a whole. “While still MIAA compliant, the current turf is nearing the end of its useful lifetime,” said Bruggeman. “With the amount of use it receives from our sports, as well as outside events like McAuley High School and the Joplin Crusaders, the new turf will be welcomed by all.” “This is a great addition to a stadium that has seen some tremendous upgrades already, including the final stages of the new end-zone field house, and I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished. We want to thank Mercy for helping to provide a state-of-the-art turf surface for our student-athletes to compete on.” “We are excited to team with Missouri Southern State University to provide a safe playing surface for their athletes,” said Dr. Russ Kennedy, Mercy Sports Medicine physician. “They are an important part of our community and we are honored to work with them on this project.”