The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation has awarded a $750,000 challenge grant in support of Ottawa University’s “Advancing the Vision” capital campaign for the University’s new Gangwish Library and Gibson Student Center. The combined project is expected to cost $10,000,000. The University has received over $6 million of the total requirement in gifts and pledges and now has one year to complete the remaining funding necessary to secure the Mabee challenge gift.
The new 43,000 square foot library and student center are to be built at the Ottawa, Kansas, home campus and will serve the entire university and the community with state-of-the-art technology, student services, dining, and conference amenities. Ottawa University serves several thousand students in Kansas and at its adult sites in Phoenix, Arizona; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Jeffersonville, Indiana; the Kansas City metro area; and through its fast-growing online programs. The project has been underwritten in part with major lead gifts from the members of the Carl C. and Carrie Gangwish family of Kearney, Nebraska, and Marguerite (Monroe) Gibson of Ottawa, Kansas, as well as other major donors. The University will now launch a public campaign to complete the necessary funding from alumni, friends, foundations, and business partners.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our donors to multiply the impact of their contributions by leveraging the Mabee funds,” said Vice President for University Advancement Paul Bean. “This project is the largest in the $24.3 million dollar campaign and is the one which will most impact campus life in Ottawa, as well as the educational experience for all OU students nationwide. We are immensely grateful to the Mabee Foundation for making this grant available to help us achieve this worthy objective.”
Ottawa University President Kevin C. Eichner commented, “We are truly blessed by the generosity of the Mabee challenge and that of our donors who are making this project possible. This new state-of-the-art library and student center will contribute enormously to the quality of the experience of all members of our university community for decades to come. We can’t wait to complete our fundraising and to get started on the construction of this great facility!”
The J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation, Inc., is a Delaware non-profit corporation whose primary purpose is to aid Christian organizations, charitable organizations, institutions of higher learning, hospitals, and other organizations of a general charitable nature with grants toward building/facility construction, renovation projects and the purchase of major medical equipment. The Mabee Foundation geographical area of giving includes the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. From the date of its inception through the most recent fiscal year, grants paid by the Foundation to various educational, religious and charitable institutions have totaled in excess of $935,000,000.
Read more about Ottawa University's "Advancing the Vision" capital campaign.