SAU Foundation presents Canadian Rockies by Train

The Southern Arkansas University Foundation presents Canadian Rockies by Train

Join fellow alumni and friends of Southern Arkansas University on a trip to experience the most breathtaking scenery in the world.

July 12 – July 20, 2010 – 9 Days, 13 Meals

Highlights of the trip include Vancouver, VIA Rail, Jasper Columbia Icefields, Chateau Lake Louise Banff Springs Hotel, and Calgary

For more information call the SAU Foundation office at 877-235-7409.

For more a detailed itinerary of trip, please log onto the following website:

http://www.collettevacations.com/group-page/index.cfm?ID=361967

SAU FOUNDATION RECEIVES $10,150 FROM MONSANTO FUND

Pictured are:  (Left to Right) Southern Arkansas University students Brittany Horten, junior biology major from Omaha, Texas and Heather Rochelle, junior biology major from Redwater, Texas, measure the production of oxygen and carbon dioxide with one of the Vernier Lab Quest packages recently purchased through a grant from the Monsanto Foundation.  Dr. James Rasmussen, chairman of the SAU Department of Biology explains the use of the equipment

SOUTHERN ARKANSAS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION RECEIVES $10,150 FROM MONSANTO FUND TO PURCHASE EQUIPMENT FOR THE NEW UNIVERSITY SCIENCE CENTER

Southern Arkansas University Foundation today announced it has received $10,150 from the Monsanto Fund, a private foundation and  the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, to purchase seven Vernier Lab Quest packages with appropriate sensors and biochambers. The equipment will be utilized by the SAU Biology Department in the University Science Center currently under construction on the Magnolia campus. The SAU Foundation raises funds for the literary, scientific, and educational purposes of the University.”

“SAU Foundation is pleased to team up with the Monsanto Fund to help provide the latest in teaching and laboratory equipment for the new University Science Center,” said Jeanie Bismark, Executive Director of the Foundation. ”Agricultural education is an important part of the University’s mission. The new center will provide a centralized facility for the study of the interrelated energy sciences: chemistry, physics, and biology, and will support teaching in the agri-sciences, including plant production.”

“Monsanto has targeted 2030 as a goal for doubling yields in our four core crops of corn, soybeans, cotton and canola. To reach that goal Monsanto will need the brightest and most talented future scientists available,” said Dr. Floyd Hancock, Soybean Breeding Manager of the Monsanto facility at Stuttgart, Ark. “Supporting education is a way that Monsanto can help insure that the talent needed to reach our goal is available.”

The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund’s primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. The Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in four main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; healthy environment, which includes conservation, protection of biodiversity, clean water and restoration of wildlife habitat; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work.

Visit the Monsanto Fund at http://www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp.

Your time is now – Join with your former teammates, friends, and family to support Mulerider Baseball

You can help move SAU Baseball to the next level of excellence by joining the Goodheart Society.

Southern Arkansas University is pleased to announce a unique opportunity for players and fans to recognize the commitment and accomplishments of Coach Steve Goodheart’s tenure at SAU by joining the Goodheart Society. Your gift of $1,000 or more to the Mulerider Baseball Complex will secure your membership in this prestigious organization. Members of the Goodheart Society will be listed on a permanent plaque at the new stadium facility. The goal of the Goodheart Society is to raise $200,000 to transform Mulerider Field into Goodheart Field.

Current Members of the Goodheart Society are:
Dr. and Mrs. David Rankin
George and Jerra Baylis
Dr. Mark Dixon
Friends and Family of Ralph Ross
Paul and Jeanie Bismark
Josh and Bekah Kee
Dr. and Mrs. Willis Beene
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Gum
Mr. Scott Rowland – Neill Forestry Consultants
Bill and Betty Stringfellow
Jay and Bonnie Adcox
Chris, Clarice, and John Long
Mike and Angie Waters
Renee Eads
Hollis and Ceceile Eads
Wayne Calloway
Bill Elmore
Ray and Daisy Helen Uhrich
Russ Mattes
Dr. John Coppett
Judge Kelvin Wyrick
Julia Laney Machen
Darrell and Kelli Morrison
Phil and Jean Brooks
SAU Alumni Association
John and Jayna Callender
Beth Anne Rankin in honor of Dr. David and Mrs. Toni Rankin
Ann Reeves Eddy
Mr. and Mrs. Nate Evers
Mr. and Mrs. Travis Buchanan
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tripp
Louis and Martha Blanchard
Mary Harsh
Bill O’Brien – Entegra
Lane and Judi Jean
Craig and Shelley Cheatham
Patsy Maddox
Larry and Jennifer Lundeen
Bob and Molly Burns
Steve and Brandy Browning
Jimmie and Mary Solomon
Cheryl, Matt, Katy Goodheart and Doris Warren
Sammie and Jennifer Mathis
Claude and Skeet Baker
Houston Taylor
Joe and Angela Pieratt

Click on the make a gift button on the right of this page to become a member of the Goodheart Society today.

Graphic Arts Department Receives Gift

Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Southern Aluminum Manufacturing, Inc. in Magnolia, recently made a $5,000 donation to the graphic arts department at Southern Arkansas University. In the photo from left to right, SAU Foundation Director Jeanie Bismark, art professor Doug Waterfield, Taylor and Associate Director of Development at SAU, Josh Kee.

Tom Ulrich coming to SAU

Famed nature photographer Tom Ulrich will present a lecture featuring his photographic transparencies at Southern Arkansas University on April 15-16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Reynolds Center. The event is being sponsored by donations to the Southern Arkansas University Foundation.

Ulrich’s collection of over 600,000 transparencies has been used by many prestigious national publications including National Geographic, the Audubon Society, National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, and Life. He has published seven nature books: Mammals of the Canadian Rockies, Birds of the Canadian Rockies, Mammals of the Northern Rockies, Birds of the Northern Rockies, Once Upon a Frame, Photo Pantanal, and Mt. Reynolds: The Story.

For more information on Tom Ulrich, visit his website at www.tomulrichphotos.com[we would probably have to charge].

SAUF Supporters Enjoy Annual President’s Gala

Alumni and friends who have contributed to Southern Arkansas University through the SAU Foundation during the past year enjoyed the President’s Gala on Friday, December 12, 2008, at the Magnolia Country Club. This annual event is a “thank you” to the alumni and friends who have so graciously shown their support for the University.

Entertainment was provided by “The Road Hoggs,” led by Zane Glasscock on guitar, and featuring vocals by David Price. Other members of the band included Andy Ray on drums, Brett Traylor on keyboard, and James Otwell on saxophone. Beth Anne Rankin, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. David Rankin, and Josh Kee, Associate Director of the SAU Foundation, sang “Silver Bells” and other selections. Heavy hours d’ oeuvres including shrimp, sausage croissants, spinach dip, and decadent chocolate cake were served.

Each guest received a blue and gold Mulerider Christmas Ball dated 2008 to display on their Christmas tree in the coming years.

SAU sponsors Wharton Nursing Building dedication

Southern Arkansas University dedicated the Wharton Nursing Building addition and renovation project on December 1 in classroom 244. Keynote remarks were made by U.S. Congressman Mike Ross.

“We are facing a nationwide nursing shortage and without aggressive intervention, the supply of nurses in America will fall 29 percent below what we need by 2020. This nursing shortage not only affects our hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices, but it also has a devastating impact on our local communities,” said Ross, of Prescott. “I was happy to help secure funding in 2005 to help make possible the expansion of the Wharton Building.SAU will continue to grow and proposer with this nursing program and help southwest Arkansas with the necessary nursing force to meet the growing demands of the community and the state.”

Dr. Bernadette Fincher, Chair of the SAU Department of Nursing, agreed the expansion comes at a time when there is a growing need for registered nurses, particularly in rural communities. “The expansion of SAU’s Wharton Nursing Building is an important element toward increasing the number of professional nurses available in south Arkansas to provide the surrounding health care facilities with qualified nurses to meet current and future workforce demands,” said Fincher.

The new addition and renovations were completed in two phases. Phase 1 was conducted January through March of 2007 and included connecting the building to the University’s district cooling loop, renovations to the mechanical room and design work necessary for Phase II. All work connected to Phase I was made possible through a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant of $334,000 sponsored by Congressman Ross.

Phase II included renovation of three existing classroom/laboratories and the addition of 10,287 square feet in new classrooms/laboratories, offices, support facilities and parking. This phase was conducted February through November 2008, cost approximately $1.9 million and raised total square footage to 25,114. The building addition was designed by CADM architects of El Dorado, Arkansas and constructed by general contractor Coker Building Company Inc. of Arkansas.

7th Annual Foundation Christmas Gala

Southern Arkansas University Foundation with President and Mrs. David F. Rankin will host the 7th Annual Foundation Christmas Gala at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12, 2008 at the Magnolia Country Club.

The evening will feature live dance music and heavy hors d’oeuvres.

Donors to Southern Arkansas University through the SAU Foundation will receive invitations to the event.

Honor Societies Dinner

Save the Date: 6:30 p.m. October 9, 2008 – The dinner recognizes members of the President’s Club, Founders’ Club, 1909 Club, Lifetime Giving Societies, Legacy Society, Hall of Honor, and those who have completed endowments during the past fiscal year.

On October 18th, 2007 we honored 2006-2007 fiscal year donors. We heard Whitney Black describe how her scholarship is enriching her university life and enabling her to participate in programs that she could not experience without this assistance. We were touched by Billy Wallace who spoke of the joy that his sister Bettie Clark has brought to their family through giving.

Shown at right are Steve and Kerry Keith accepting the bronze Mulerider award for Farmer’s Bank & Trust of Magnolia, AR. FB&T joins the Fincher, Laney, and Rhea Families in receiving this prestigious award.

Southern Arkansas University names a new head of Foundation and Development

MAGNOLIA, Ark. —Jeanette “Jeanie” Bismark has been named the new executive director of the Southern Arkansas University Foundation and the director of development for the University.

Bismark, who has called Magnolia home since 1961, brings to the position an understanding of customer service from co-owning two businesses with her husband Paul, as well as a working knowledge of education, and the challenges of the field, from working as an English teacher in Columbia County schools.

“As a former school teacher I am interested in education and the University because of my connection with it over the years,” Bismark said. “I also see this position as an opportunity to make a contribution the University. Plus, my husband said I took the job because I can’t resist a challenge.”

Bismark’s ties with SAU run deep and began with spending a couple of weeks each summer with her aunt Floy Childs, and her uncle Orval Childs, who was director of the agriculture department for three decades, and whose name students associate with the Childs Agriculture Building.

Bismark said her immediate goal in her new position is to help grow the Foundation by recruiting people who have an interest in education. One of the often overlooked responsibilities of the University is to impact economic growth, she said.

“Education is important for its own sake, but it is also important that a student’s education makes them more productive in the economy,” Bismark said.

In the long term, she is looking forward to helping bring the “Blue and Gold vision” to life. Dedicated fundraising is one way to support this vision of a quality comprehensive University.

Bismark has a bachelor of arts in English with honors from SAU and a master of arts in English from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

She is a former member of the SAU Foundation Board of Governors, was chairman of the Columbia County Sesquicentennial Celebration, Magnolia-Columbia Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, 2002 and past president of the Magnolia Junior Charity League.

She and her husband Paul co-owned the Treasure Chest and Olive’s Sporting Goods, both in Magnolia, with her husband Paul. They have one son, Carl, who lives in McNeil, Ark., with his wife Brandy and their two children, Marley, 4, and Will, 1.

Bismark replaces Art Horne who was the executive director of development for the SAU Foundation in Magnolia from 2002-2007. Horne has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Office of Development and Alumni Affairs as executive director of development for UAMS colleges.