May 2008 Development Newsletter

Article Body: Do You Know of a Prospective Graceland Student? Greg Sutherland, a 1973 GU graduate and 31-year employee at Graceland, has just been named our new VP for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions. Greg is a Gracelander through and through. "Just about everything great I have in life came from Graceland," he says, "and I want to give every student the opportunity to share that Graceland Experience." Greg has a dynamic staff to work with and he would like to invite you to become a member of the Graceland Admissions team. If you know of a high school senior or junior college transfer student who is still undecided about what university to attend this fall, give Greg a call at 641.784.5110 or email him at sutherla@graceland.edu and pass along the name. It could be your son or daughter, your grandchild, your neighbor, or a student who attends your church. Graceland graduates go on to exciting, rewarding careers and they take along life-time relationships born at GU. Do you have a prospective student in mind? Give Greg a call or go online to Admissions Web pages.

Record Number of Degrees Conferred at Commencement 2008. After a record-breaking, freezing-cold winter, we enjoyed a sunny, warm day May 18 for Graceland's 111^th Commencement Convocation, and a record-breaking 821 degrees were conferred. Students from 49 states and 15 countries joined the ranks of Graceland alumni. Undergraduate degrees in 53 majors totaled 431. Masters degrees in nine majors totaled 390. Psychology Associate Professor Brian C. Smith received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. Paul M. Edwards and Malcolm L. Ritchie received honorary doctorate degrees. Graceland President John Sellars announced the naming of our School of Education after Edmund J. Gleazer, Graceland's seventh president and Father of the American Community College. Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell presented the Commencement Address, sending forth into the world another outstanding class of Graceland graduates. View the image galleries from Commencement weekend.

SIFE Team Takes Third at National Competition. Our 2006 National Champion, second-in-the-world Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team took third place against stiff competition on May 15. Click on SIFE in Chicago to read stories from nationals and view an extensive image gallery. To view the team's annual report, and learn more about this outstanding program, go to http://www.gusife.org/.

Men's Tennis Team Makes History. Legendary GU tennis coach Jerry Hampton led his men's team to an historic, first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Tournament quarter-finals May 14 in Mobile, AL. The Region V champs ultimately fell to powerhouse Fresno Pacific. "I could not be more proud of how this team played all year," said Hampton, who now has logged 48 years teaching at GU, nearly 30 coaching tennis. The men's team finished with an amazing 20-2 overall record and they will lose only one senior, Mario Paz. Hampton's teams have won more conference titles than any coach (of any sport) in Yellowjacket history. Jerry's young women's team captured the HAAC title and they will all return next year.

Take a Virtual Look at The Alumni Brick Plaza. Recent graduates Anuj Rajbhandari (who now works for Microsoft) and Amit Podar did the development work as a senior project, and Computer Science Professor Jim Jones and current student Annie Rajbhandari (Anuj's sister) have now fine-tuned a cool, new way to locate any of the hundreds of bricks and pavers that comprise our beautiful Alumni Brick Plaza in front of the Higdon Administration Building. Click on Alumni Brick Tracker to access the tracking system on GU's Web site. Challenge: Can you find Elvis or Al Gore or John Lennon in our plaza? When bricks/pavers are installed each May and October, the tracker is updated. You can view your brick, or any other, and even order a brick at the Web page. Brick Plaza proceeds provide scholarships for descendents of alumni.

Why Do We Study the Korean War? Once a year, on Memorial Day, we honor those who have served (or are serving) in our Armed Forces. Many gave their lives during wars. We hope each war will be our last, yet we are now engaged in another. The Korean War is unique in the American experience. It changed how future wars would be fought and how, as a nation, we would come to understand war. Study of the Forgotten War is crucial if we as a community, as a people, are to make today's war our last. Graceland University is immensely proud of the work undertaken by father-son team Dr. Paul Edwards and Gregg Edwards at the Center for the Study of the Korean War (CSKW), located on our Independence, MO, campus. They are locating, collecting, preserving, and making available for research the paper trail left by the Korean War so that the media, governments, universities, libraries, film makers, students, researchers, veterans, and their families can discover and learn from the truth. Let us all stand behind Paul and Gregg's noble efforts. Email pedwards@graceland.edu or gedwards@graceland.edu, visit their Web site at CSKW or send your gift of support to the CSKW, 1401 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO 64050-3434.

"The Yellowjacket" Golf Outing is a Great Success. This annual fundraiser, sponsored by GU's Yellowjacket Club, drew 20 golfers to Arizona in early May and netted $12,000 to help construct a new storage facility for track-and-field equipment. Proceeds from previous years helped refurbish both the men's and women's basketball locker rooms and the soccer locker rooms. Director of Development Todd Sturgis said the goal for next year is to raise "$50,000 in the 5^th Year." Click on the Yellowjacket Club to learn more about The Team that Supports Our Teams. Click on the photos to see a larger version with names of participants.

How About This for a Way to Support Graceland? GU is blessed with a tremendous base of alumni and friends who find a lot of ways to give back to their alma mater. Here is another way perhaps you had not thought of. Government economic stimulus checks are in the mail right now and maybe you have not decided whether to spend it or save it. There is another option! What better way to stimulate the economy than giving to Graceland, where you know your donation will truly make a difference in transforming students' lives? Call 1.800.645.3582, or visit our Web site at Graceland Home and click on "Giving Opportunities."
Event Date: 5/30/2008 9:20 AM

Posted by Sue Olson on 5/30/2008 9:20:00 AM

May 2008 Development Newsletter

May 2008 Development Newsletter

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