Dear Friends,
It is never easy to select stories for the Shillelagh — and you are the reason why. The members of OGS have been transforming our university for nearly 40 years, and this legacy continues today. There are so many examples of your generosity in action and too few pages in which to capture them.
For this issue, we’ve landed on a mix of news, profiles and updates — all laced with a huge amount of gratitude. Our cover story features the members of Miners by Design as they continue to be the angels and investors backing our 13 student design teams. This group’s annual support provides the seed money essential to the endeavor, as our young inventors and designers work in the trenches of experiential learning.
Our New & Noteworthy section shines the spotlight on your generosity in many forms: your overwhelming response to the 20/20 Challenge creating vital, need-based scholarships; some exciting news about a new scholarship donor to Missouri S&T and a new way of thinking about how scholarship funding is awarded; David and Darlene Wang’s new endowment in electrical and computer engineering; Wayne and Gayle Laufer’s ongoing investment in energy research; and, last but not least, our new tubas courtesy of Keith Bailey.
Miner pride is evident on every page, but it shines in our update on the Hasselmann Alumni House. The donors profiled have each chosen to leave a legacy by naming a space in the facility. We are grateful to the donors who have supported this major project. We hope that others will join them in raising the roof on a beautiful, new home for our 55,000 alumni.
As you may already know, Missouri S&T will begin publishing its Honor Roll of Donors and Volunteers in an online format in 2014. This change from a paper to an electronic publication reflects the university’s commitment to efficiency, sustainable practices and wise stewardship of the funds entrusted to us. Next year will bring another change as we begin holding our OGS Weekends biennially instead of annually. We also plan to move the event from the busy month of April to June, so that it does not conflict with other university activities. Additionally, we will host informal OGS receptions and gatherings, both in Rolla and in other cities where signficiant groups of our alumni and donors reside. We will offer these more casual gatherings in years that alternate with the biennial weekend celebration. Our goal in making these changes is twofold: to be responsive to a variety of donor preferences and to encourage a greater number of you to participate in our OGS Weekend.
If you have questions or thoughts about how we can improve our service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at 573-341-7808 or nesbittj@mst.edu. Missouri S&T is blessed by your friendship and support. This issue of the Shillelagh is dedicated to you and every OGS member who has “picked up the shillelagh” and made a difference.
With warm regard,
Joan Nesbitt
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement