|
|
California-based OSU alumna's gift to honor parents, grain producersOklahoma Oklahoma State University has received a $250,000 gift from alumnus Helen J. Hodges to establish a plant and soil science professorship in honor of her parents, Dillon and Lois Hodges. The gift will create the Dillon and Lois Hodges Professorship in Plant and Soil Sciences, located within the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The position will concentrate on scholarship and research to increase grain production, and is committed to ensuring that the benefits of OSU's expertise are made available to farmers around the world. "It is my great pleasure to make this gift to honor my parents and ensure that OSU's world-class expertise will help farmers sustain themselves and hopefully thrive," said Hodges. "My parents knew from experience the challenges that farmers face. They would be thrilled if their legacy leads to advances in agriculture that help struggling farmers around the world. Once fully matched dollar-for-dollar by T. Boone Pickens' $100 million chair match commitment, as well as the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the gift will provide $1 million of impact in endowed funds. Hodges noted her appreciation for Pickens' generous gift that effectively quadruples her contribution. "The response from our alumni and friends has exceeded our wildest expectations," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "Inspired by Boone Pickens' astounding generosity, donors answered the call to make a lasting difference and open a new and exciting chapter at OSU. We sincerely appreciate what Helen has done for the benefit of OSU academics and research and value this lasting way she has chosen to honor her parents." Hodges' parents both graduated from Oklahoma A&M, the precursor of OSU. Her mother, Lois Mayfield, graduated in 1940 with a degree in home economics. After graduating, Lois taught home economics and worked as an Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service home demonstration agent in northwestern Oklahoma. After serving in the Army, Dillon Hodges graduated from OSU in 1947 with a degree in agriculture. Lois and Dillon married on July 9, 1948 and farmed in Major County for more than 30 years, raising primarily cattle and wheat. Helen J. Hodges received her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from OSU in 1979. While attending Oklahoma State, she obtained her private pilot's license and in 1980 was a member of OSU's flying team, which won top honors at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition. Hodges became a certified public accountant in 1982 and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1983, where she was the managing editor of the Law Review. Hodges currently lives in San Diego, Calif., and serves as a senior managing partner at world's leading plaintiffs' law firm, Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP. Most notable among her many significant precedent-setting cases, Hodges oversaw the firm's historic efforts to recover more than $7 billion for victims of the collapse of Enron, the largest recovery ever obtained for victims of corporate fraud. In order to take full advantage of the state's dollar-for-dollar match, and make the most significant impact on OSU academics, Hodges made the gift prior to the July 1 change in the state's endowed chair matching program. This gift is part of the $66.8 million in endowed faculty gifts OSU announced recently. Hodges' gift was also matched from the Pickens' historic $100 million academic donation on May 21. Pickens' gift will more than double the number of current faculty chair and professorship positions at the university after he generously agreed that his donation can be used to match other donor gifts to faculty chairs and professorships in the area of the donor's choice, and in the name of their choice. With the state match on both gifts, OSU donors can see their gift to fund a faculty chair quadruple. Jean Van Delinder, chair of the OSU Faculty Council, said the university is poised for growth and further prominence, but to realize its full potential, OSU must continue to attract and retain top scholars and researchers. "These chairs highlight the important role that scholarship and teaching play at OSU, and they are made possible through the generous support of donors who value excellence in scholarship and want to help OSU continue to nurture a strong faculty," she said. Endowed professorship and chairs are academic designations that provide support for faculty salary, graduate assistantships, equipment and research needs, as well as other support. Van Delinder said these endowed faculty positions allow a university to attract and retain the best and the brightest academic minds in the world. Oklahoma's only university with a statewide presence, OSU is a five-campus, public land-grant educational system that improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 32,000 students across its system and nearly 21,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and around 110 nations. The Oklahoma State University Foundation serves as the private fundraising organization for the university, as designated by the OSU Regents. Its mission is to unite donor and university passions and priorities to achieve excellence. Additional information about the foundation is available at http://OSUgiving.com on the Internet. 8/4/08 Date: 7/31/08
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
