Missouri Western\u2019s Centennial Capital Campaign continues to be successful and is very close to reaching its $20 million initial celebration goal, according to Jerry Pickman \u201985, vice president for University Advancement and Executive Director of the MWSU Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince Missouri Western\u2019s earliest beginning as St. Joseph Junior College, the community has supported it,\u201d Pickman said. \u201cAnd again, we have great community support for this campaign as they share our vision for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The renovation of Spratt Stadium is well underway (see p. 10). In August, the largest gift to Athletics was announced (see article below), and funds continue to be raised for the Potter Hall project.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe truly appreciate the generosity of our donors,\u201d Pickman said. \u201cThey have made Missouri Western the great university that it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The MWSU Foundation hopes to reach the initial celebration goal of $20 million before the end of 2015, Pickman said.<\/p>\n
Missouri Western receives largest individual gift in Athletics history \u201cOnce again, Steve Craig has made a transformational gift to Missouri Western,\u201d said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western\u2019s president. \u201cThousands of people visit the Spratt Stadium complex every year, and Steve\u2019s gift will create an atmosphere that will be second to none.\u201d The brick structure built to house the scoreboard will be approximately 72 feet tall, with storage rooms inside, static signs and displays, and a rooftop fireworks launch pad. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the Spring Commencement Ceremony in May 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope people take a look at what\u2019s going on at Missouri Western and support the things that will allow the university to compete on the national level,\u201d Craig said.<\/p>\n Craig will contribute $1.1 million of the estimated $2.6 million project. Private donors have pledged the rest of the cost through the Missouri Western State University Foundation\u2019s Centennial Capital Campaign.<\/p>\n Craig has now donated a total of $8.9 million to Missouri Western, but his contributions are not just financial. He has worked countless hours in conceiving and executing Missouri Western\u2019s applied entrepreneurship program, which gives graduating seniors and alumni the chance to own and operate their own business. He is currently serving as honorary co-chair of the Centennial Capital Campaign, and helped organize a benefit concert by Grammy-winning artist Melissa Manchester to raise money for Missouri Western\u2019s arts program in June.<\/p>\n \u201cNaming the new playing surface \u2018Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium\u2019 is a fitting tribute to someone who has been so generous with both his financial resources and his time.\u201d said Jerry Pickman, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the Missouri Western State University Foundation.<\/p>\n Potter Hall fund-raising continues \u201cDare to Dream\u201d was held at the Paradox Theatre in downtown St. Joseph in March, and a Melissa Manchester concert was held in June at the Missouri Theater.<\/p>\n The vision for Potter Hall includes a new performance hall, lobby and gallery space to showcase the artwork of internationally known sculptor Brent Collins, graphic design labs, additional studios space, a new black box theater and upgrades to the hall\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n Jerry Pickman \u201985, vice president for University Advancement and Executive Director of the MWSU Foundation, noted that the project will proceed as funds are raised.<\/p>\n Become a part of the Victory Plaza <\/strong> Two sizes of brick are available: a 4\u201d x 8\u201d brick that can hold one to three lines of text for $150; and an 8\u201d x 8\u201d brick that can hold up to six lines of text for $250.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plaza gives supporters the opportunity to be a tangible part of Spratt Stadium, and a great way to memorialize or honor a special person in your life,\u201d said Jerry Pickman \u201985, vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the MWSU Foundation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Missouri Western\u2019s Centennial Capital Campaign continues to be successful and is very close to reaching its $20 million initial celebration goal, according to Jerry Pickman \u201985, vice president for University Advancement and Executive Director of the MWSU Foundation. \u201cSince Missouri Western\u2019s earliest beginning as St. Joseph Junior College, the community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4247,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211\/revisions\/4247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>Steve Craig, founder and CEO of Craig Realty Group and benefactor of the Craig School of Business, pledged to give Spratt Memorial Stadium a high-definition LED video scoreboard. The board, which will be larger than the screens at many Division I stadiums, is the largest individual gift in the history of Missouri Western Athletics. In recognition of the gift, the playing surface will now be known as Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium.<\/p>\n
\nThe video board will stand at the south end of the stadium, near the Baker Family Fitness Center. At a little more than 65 feet wide and 38 feet tall, or approximately 2,500 square feet, it is believed that the video display will be the largest in NCAA Division II. It will be larger by area than many Division I schools, including the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>A Centennial Arts series has been a part of Missouri Western\u2019s centennial celebration in an effort to raise funds to address several needs in Potter Hall.<\/p>\n
\nUniversity supporters are invited to purchase a brick that will be a part of the Victory Plaza between the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex and the stadium.<\/p>\n