Welcome Address
A.R. Charnes
125th Endowed Funds Campaign Kick-Off
Feb. 7, 2008

Thank you, Dr. Freed.

As you can see, Mary Ann is not here with me tonight. She is at home in South Carolina but is with us in Spirit. As most of you know she is definitely the brains of our partnership and she is committed to helping in this endeavor. So don’t get frightened and think I am going to try and pull this off by myself!

As everyone knows Mary Ann and I have strong feelings for The University of Findlay. We met here, Mary Ann attended classes through the years and worked at the University, and one of our daughters is a successful graduate. At one time, our other daughter held some of the swimming records at the aquatic center.

There is no doubt The University of Findlay is intricately woven into the fabric of our lives.

I don’t want to spend my time tonight bringing you up to date on our lives.

The important point is to think about what the University means to students today!! What does it mean to those that are “seeking meaningful lives and productive careers.” All of you in this room have contributed to the success of this institution over the years. You have provided programs to meet the changing demands of today’s students.

Over the years you have had the foresight to change with the times and today we have a vibrant academic institution offering a wide variety of programs that will meet the needs of these young men and women for many years to come. You have provided these programs in an exciting academic setting and you have maintained the strong values that will prepare these students for the world after college.

You have done a great job leading this University. I tip my hat to you and I know I speak for all alumni when I say THANK YOU!

The personal feelings Mary Ann and I have for the University and the confidence we have in the job you have done and are doing in running this institution are why we have agreed to serve as Honorary Chairs of the 125th Endowed Funds Drive.

This drive is an initiative to create 125 new endowed funds in support of students, faculty, programs and campus life. Since the start of this drive, 44 new funds have been created or funded with a value of more than $2 million. This demonstrates clearly that the promise of the University embedded in its mission statement is alive and strong.

A number of individuals have agreed to work with us as volunteers on this drive and have themselves created endowed funds. Some are here with us tonight and I’d like to ask them to stand when I call their names:

• Mr. Dallas Sterling, School of Pharmacy

• Lt. Col. and Mrs. James Woodward, College of Liberal Arts

• Mrs. Barbara Meyers, College of Education

• Dr. Larry McDougle, College of Sciences

• Mr. Dennis Zahler, College of Business

• Dr. Tony Pitts, Athletics

Let’s give them a show of our appreciation.

Another sign of the strength and promise of the University is the support given to the Mazza Museum. The University is in the quiet phase of a drive to raise $1 million for the Mazza Endowment and, thus far, more than $500,000 has been committed.

All of this support is exciting and encouraging. Mary Ann and I are proud to be able to play a small part in supporting the future of this wonderful University.