News

What was publicly launched in February 2013 as a five- to seven-year challenge to raise $45 million has transformed Emporia State University and launched Hornet Nation — a community of dedicated and loyal donors.

A new professorship will honor a long-time Emporia State educator for his ability to start students solidly on their career paths, being well-educated in their major fields of study and in life in general.

Planned gifts from two Hornet alumnae — Mildred Caldwell (BSE 61 – Speech, Psychology) and Coleen Thebo (BSE 64 – English) — will continue to give education majors in The Teachers College the opportunity to chase their dreams through scholarships. Caldwell’s gift establishes the Mildred L. Caldwell Donor Advised Fund, and Thebo’s gift benefits the recently established Roger G. and Colleen D. Thebo Scholarship.

George Breidenthal always preferred to work behind the scenes to advance Emporia State University and its programs. His substantial gifts to music, elementary education and women’s athletics — Lady Hornet basketball, in particular — cemented his standing as a quiet superfan always ready to support students.

Emporia State University will soon be home to the Aquatic Research and Outreach Center, a new facility planned for the north end of campus and adjacent to I-35 where aquatic ecology research and training could have a worldwide impact on generations to come. During the afternoon of Feb. 15, gifts in support of the Aquatic Research and Outreach Center were celebrated with a bell ringing ceremony at the Sauder Alumni Center.

Michael Vander Linden, an Emporia State University theatre alumnus and teacher at Burlington High School, is among five Emporia State graduates selected to receive the 2017 Kansas Horizon Award.

Emporia State lost one of its most-loyal and best-loved supporters on Feb. 8, when Virginia Visser, a former First Lady of the university, died in Mankato, Minnesota, at the age of 94.

School of Business students will soon be enjoying a new area in Cremer Hall dedicated to their success, thanks to a gift from the William and Aloha Preston Family Trust. The new area, with a proposed name of the Preston Family Student Complex, will be created in the lower level of Cremer. The Complex will house the BizHornet Center, new spaces for business clubs to meet and additional conversation areas.

Holocaust survivor Dr. Inge Auerbacher, in a visit organized by the Union Activities Council, will speak on Tuesday, Feb. 21 about her experiences in the concentration camps and life following her move to the United States.