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U.S. Bank presented Northwest and the Northwest Foundation with three gifts in support of the Hughes Fieldhouse and a planned Agricultural Learning Center. Pictured left to right are Dr. John Jasinski, Northwest president; Greg Hansen, Northwest assistant vice president of student affairs for campus recreation; Mitzi Marchant, Northwest director of donor engagement; Mark Cochran, U.S. Bank market manager for northwest Missouri; Kyle Meyer, U.S. Bank agriculture team manager for northern Missouri and Kansas; Shannon Moore, U.S. Bank vice president and trust relationship manager; David Schmidt, U.S. Bank market president; Rex Brod, U.S. Bank market president; Dr. Lonelle Rathje, Northwest vice president of external relations and executive director of the Northwest Foundation; Jennifer Nicholson; president of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors; and Andy Peterson, Northwest director of athletics.
Aug. 15, 2018
U.S. Bank, which operates two branches within the city of Maryville, on Aug. 2 presented Northwest Missouri State University and the Northwest Foundation Inc. with three gifts totaling $95,000 to support two major capital projects aimed at uplifting the University’s students and the region.
Representatives of U.S. Bank presented to Northwest leadership a $25,000 gift on behalf of U.S. Bank Foundation to support the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse, which will open on the University campus this fall. Additionally, bank representatives presented a $50,000 check from an anonymous trust and a $20,000 check from The Gary G. Taylor Charitable Trust, U.S. Bank, N.A. Trustee, for Northwest’s planned Agricultural Learning Center to be built at the R.T. Wright Farm.
“U.S. Bank and the University’s mission and core values certainly align with one another and that’s apparent in the work the University does in uplifting students,” Shannon Moore, vice president and trust relationship manager for U.S. Bank, said. “U.S. Bank is about uplifting communities and the core piece of that is our youth. We’re very excited to be a part of this and the continued growth in northwest Missouri.”
Mitzi Marchant, director of donor engagement for the Northwest Foundation and Office of University Advancement, said support from the community is paramount for projects such as the Hughes Fieldhouse and the Agricultural Learning Center.
“Both of these facilities will benefit not only students at Northwest Missouri State University, but also the entire region,” she said. “Support from area corporations and foundations as well as alumni and friends make a significant difference, and the economic impact of the Hughes Fieldhouse and the Ag Learning Center will be a great boost to our community.”
As the single largest public-private partnership in Northwest’s 113‐year history and one of the largest such projects in the region ever, support from local businesses, as well as Northwest alumni, has played a key role in the University’s vision for the Hughes Fieldhouse becoming a reality.
Donors who have committed $13.5 million to the project through donations and pledges secured by the Northwest Foundation. Leading support for the project is provided by the Founding 50 – a group of donors contributing $50,000 or more to the project – with the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Family Foundation, the Mel and Valorie Booth Family, the city of Maryville and Nodaway Valley Bank working as “team captains” of the group. The University and students also are contributing to the project, while hundreds of alumni and friends have made gifts of all sizes.
The 137,250 square-foot, $20 million Hughes Fieldhouse is designed to serve a multitude of social, recreational and economic needs for the University and region.
A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Hughes Fieldhouse is planned for 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. As part of the University’s Homecoming weekend activities, an open house also is planned for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, that will include tours of the facility, inflatables, music and opportunities for children to interact with Bearcat student-athletes. The events are free and open to the public.
For more information about the Hughes Fieldhouse, visit https://www.nwmissouri.edu/recreation/HughesFieldhouse/.
The Agricultural Learning Center, for which the University and Northwest Foundation are raising funds, will be built at Northwest’s 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm and serve as a multipurpose facility, providing classrooms and laboratory resources to supplement and enhance the academic curriculum.
The estimated $8.5 million, 29,000-square-foot center will allow for research and scholarly activities centered on crop, soil and livestock resources as well as space for processing agricultural products. It will include space for public and private functions such as producer and agricultural industry meetings, workshops, shows and career development events, and the promotion of agricultural literacy.
The Taylor Charitable Trust has previously given four $20,000 gifts to the Agricultural Learning Center, for a total of $100,000.
