OTTAWA, Kan. – Ottawa University announced on Thursday, June 30, the establishment of the Kevin and Marylin Eichner Scholarship, in honor of the transformative impact the Eichner's have had on the University. The scholarship, a $3 million endowed fund, will support undergraduates at both the Ottawa, Kan., and the Surprise, Ariz., residential campuses.
“Kevin and Marylin have been the face of Ottawa University for many years,” said Dr. Bill Tsutsui, OU President and CEO. “Kevin’s leadership and vision as President and Chancellor from 2008 to 2021 and Marylin’s warmth and commitment to the OU community as First Lady laid the groundwork for the University’s ongoing growth and dynamism.”
The Kevin and Marylin Eichner Scholarship will support students of promise with demonstrated financial need. In addition to the newly endowed scholarship, the original building at Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ), Founders Hall, will be renamed the Kevin and Marylin Eichner Hall. The OUAZ campus was a vision of Eichner’s early in his tenure at OU and through his leadership and persistence, the highly successful second residential campus opened in 2017. A ceremonial rededication of the building will take place in early October.
Leadership gifts to the Eichner Scholarship were made by Jim ’57 and Jeanne ’56 O’Dell, Jeff Hull ’88, Hank Scherich ’60, and John ’79 and Marny Sherman. Other major gifts were provided by Tim ’80 and Karla ’79 Dye, Kevin ’73 and Marylin ’00 Eichner, Ron and Peggy Guziak, Michael ’68 and Martha ’68 Hetrick, and Anne Mills. Dozens of additional donors – alumni, current and former Board of Trustees and Chancellor’s Advisory Council members, faculty and staff – have also made meaningful contributions towards the endowment.
Gifts and pledges toward the Kevin and Marylin Eichner Scholarship are still being gratefully accepted and may be made online at http://Support.ottawa.edu/Eichner.
“The creation of this scholarship not only celebrates the legacy of the Eichner's, but also represents a historic investment in the long-term future of the University,” said Dr. Tsutsui. “The Eichner Scholarship, along with the many other sources of financial support available to our students, underlines Ottawa University’s commitment to keeping our life-changing education affordable and accessible to all. Generations of Ottawa students will benefit from the generosity of the donors to this scholarship.”
The scholarship is the largest endowed fund in the University’s history and will increase the University’s endowment by more than 15 percent. While June 30 marks Kevin’s last day as Chancellor Emeritus, his involvement in the OU community will continue for years to come as he was voted a Life Trustee during the University’s June Board of Trustees meeting.