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New scholarshipsestablishedSeveral scholarships have been
established this year to benefit
students at Missouri State University-West Plains.
The Al Hufstedler Leadership Scholarship Endowmentwill
provideassistance for an Alton High School graduate and a Couch
HighSchool graduate to attend Missouri State University-West
Plains.High school superintendents will nominate the recipients of
thisLeadership Scholarship.The Al Hufstedler Memorial Endowed
Scholarshipswill provideassistance for three individuals to attend
the West Plains campus,including a graduate of Alton High School, a
graduate of CouchHigh School and a veteran who graduated from a
public high schoolin Oregon County. The scholarships are designed
to help studentswhose area of interest is math, science or
engineering.
Al Hufstedler was a 1949 graduate of Alton High School, a U.S.
AirForce Veteran and a successful electronic design engineer.
Thescholarships honor Mr. Hufstedlers Oregon County roots, where
h
loved to hunt, fish, camp and canoe near his familys farm in
RiverMo., both as a young boy and after retiring.The Ewan Linton
Memorial Basketball Endowed Scholarshipisbeing established by a
group of Missouri State University-West Plaalumni in memory of the
former Grizzly basketball team member wpassed away in 2011. Ewan
was originally from Jamaica and playfor the Grizzlies during the
2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
To contribute to any scholarship fund, call the development
office417-255-7240 or click the Give Online button at
wp.missouristaedu/development.
WP.MISSOURISTATE.EDU
The sounds of hammers and heavy equipment can be heard
acrosscampus now that crews with Bales Construction Company, Inc.,
inSpringfield have begun work on Gohn Hall.
Construction began in earnest in January after university
officialsjoined with members of the David Gohn family in December
toofficially break ground on the $2 million
construction/renovationproject. When completed in fall 2013, the
building will provide officeand classroom space for the Missouri
State University Outreachprogram on the West Plains campus.
The project, considered the No. 1 capital priority by Missouri
StateUniversity System officials, was made possible in fall 2011
with amajor gift commitment from the Gohn family and university
moneyfrom the Springfield and West Plains campuses.
Gohn, a local banker, and his sister, long-time public educator
VirginiaGohn-Sapp, donated their family home to the university to
provide afacility for the Outreach program to offer bachelors and
masters degreecompletion programs, including those in business and
education, locally.
Completion of Gohn Hall will make it easier than ever for
students in West Plains area to complete a bachelors or masters
degree withoutleaving their home, university officials explained,
adding students can
obtain an associates degree at Missouri State-West Plains then
compthe four-year program via distance learning technology in Gohn
Hall.
B Y V I C K I E D R I S K E L L , P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S
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GOHN HALLunderway
With shovels from left are John David and Robert Mahaffey Jr.;
Caroline,
Jack and William Beykirch; and Sam, Mary Claire and Libby Gohn.
Behind th
podium is Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Drew
Bennett.
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Experience April in Paris{without leaving the Ozarks}
TOL L F REE 888-466-7 89
Make plans to attend Missouri State University-West Plains
18thAnnual Auction, set for Friday, April 13, 2012, at the West
PlainsCivic Center exhibit hall. Several thousand dollars worth of
goodsand services already have been donated to sell at the auction,
andmore are being added every day!
This year, the silent auction will be held from 5 until
6:30p.m., followed by dinner. The live auction begins at 7:30 p.m.A
portion of the proceeds of this years event will go towardbuilding
the Tuttle Amphitheater.Tickets are $30 per person and include
dinner, good company andmany opportunities to bid on practical and
luxury items, trips, themedbaskets, gift certificates and more,
with values ranging from $5 toover $5,000. Among the items already
obtained are four admissionpasses to Walt Disney Worlds theme parks
in Orlando, Fla.; trips tothe Caribbean; a Stihl KombiMotor
multi-task tool with trimmer andother yard and garden attachments
from Hirsch Feed and Farm Supplyvalued at over $1,000; a Keurig
coffee brewer; and tickets to variousattractions in the area and
around the state.
Auction attendees once again will have the opportunity to
reservetable and help support the auctions bottom line. For $300,
you careserve seating for eight near the stage or further away from
theaction, if you prefer.Please let us know you are planning to
attend by contacting thedevelopment office at 417-255-7240 or via
email at [email protected]. You also may register
online at wp.missouristate.eddevelopment/auction.htm. More
information can be obtained by gointo the auctions Facebook page
MSU-WP Auction. Be sure to likethe page to receive updates as new
items are added. Also, the auctionwebsite will be updated
periodically as items are added.Make your reservation by April 5 to
receive an express passentry, a time-saving way to breeze past the
registration tablethe night of the auction. As in recent years,
dress is casual, butto add to the atmosphere, vintage Parisian
attire berets, vestsscarves! is encouraged.
Graduate makesgiving back a priority
Jeremiah Thieman knows he owes his successto the education he
received at Missouri StateUniversity-West Plains. Thats why he has
made it apriority to give back to the campus each year with a
donation to the Annual Fund.
Ive heard it said for those who have a lot, a lotis expected of
them. Thats why I give to Missouri
tate-West Plains. Had it not been for the West Plains campus, I
donthink I would have stayed in college, he said in a recent
interview.
hieman grew up on his familys farm near Lamar, Mo., and knew
afterraduating high school that attending college at a large campus
in a
metropolitan area wasnt for him. Missouri State-West Plains,
however,ffered a small campus with a small-town atmosphere.
came to West Plains because it was small, he explained. I was
still on
he fence trying to decide between a degree in agriculture or
constructionmanagement, and I knew I could focus on my basics
there.
e admits his first semester in fall 2002 was difficult. I almost
didntmake it through. I wanted to go home so badly, but everyone
there waso supportive, and it really made a difference for me, he
explained.he support helped Thieman achieve his Associate of Arts
in Generaltudies degree in May 2005 and prompted him to continue
his education
at Missouri State University in Springfield, where he completed
a Bachelof Science in Business Administration degree, with a major
in ConstructManagement and a minor in Agribusiness, in 2008.
Immediately after graduation, he received a job offer as
projectengineer from Elkhorn Construction in Evanston, Wyo., which
providplant construction and maintenance solutions to the oil and
gasindustries, as well as pipeline services. He was then promoted
to areamanager for the companys ConocoPhillips maintenance
contract,overseeing seven supervisors and 70 to 80 employees who
providedmaintenance and construction of the ConocoPhillips
pipelines andterminals throughout the Midwest.
Just a few months ago, Thieman joined Rooney Engineering, Inc.,
aDenver, Colo.-based company specializing in petroleum, natural
gasand water pipeline transmission projects. He serves as a
constructionmanager out of the companys Casper, Wyo., office,
working on
pipeline construction and demolition projects for Enbridge
Pipeline.
Had it not been for the education I received at both campuses, I
wouldnot be in the position I am today to give back, Thieman said.
I trulybelieve in giving back as much as you can.
To donate to the Annual Fund, please visit
wp.missouristate.edu/development/annualfund.htm .
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