|
Couple
gives $3 million to Student Union project
BOWLING GREEN,
O. –A Plymouth, Michigan, couple has given $3 million
to Bowling Green State University. BGSU alumni Robert
M. and Ellen (Bowen) Thompson presented the gift to the
University to expand and renovate the Student Union.
The contribution
is the largest ever received by the University, according
to Marcia Latta, BGSU’s director of development.
The largest previous gift was a $2 million bequest for
scholarships from Lorain schoolteacher Harry V. Frankfather,
a 1926 BGSU alumnus.
"This
gift from the Thompsons will impact every student at the
University because the Union is used by everyone on campus,"
Latta said, adding that the gift also demonstrates the
importance of private philanthropy. "Private dollars
are crucial in helping the University achieve its goal
of becoming the premiere learning community in Ohio and
one of the best in the nation."
At a meeting
Dec. 15, the University’s Board of Trustees voted
to name the student union facility in honor of the Michigan
couple. The facility will be known as the Bowen-Thompson
Student Union.
A 1955 graduate
of the University, Robert Thompson is president and former
sole-owner of Thompson-McCully Co. in Belleville, Mich.
Ellen Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree in education
at Bowling Green in 1954. The benefactors have fond memories
of BGSU and say their years at the University changed
their lives.
"My college
education was a very pivotal time in my life," says
Robert Thompson. "My mother," he recalled, "wanted
me to have a college education to build my confidence.
" Although not a very serious student in high school,
"I worked like crazy (at BGSU) and my self-confidence
did grow. I also met my wife. My college education was
a life-altering experience."
Ellen Thompson
echoed her husband’s sentiments. "It was a wonderful
four years for my husband and me. It was a wonderful time
to grow up. "
In thanking
the Thompsons for their gift, University President Sidney
A. Ribeau praised them for demonstrating the very values
the Bowling Green learning community seeks to instill
in its current students.
"As undergraduates
here, Bob and Ellen were enriched by their experiences
both in and out of the classroom, and they have gone on
to be successful citizens who are active in their community.
Their gift is meaningful not only because it will enrich
student lives here at BGSU, but also because they set
an example for our students by demonstrating the importance
of giving something back to the community," Ribeau
said.
With the help
of the Thompsons’ gift, the BGSU Student Union will
double in size,to approximately 125,000 in net square
footage. When the $33 million project is completed, the
building will feature meetings rooms, an array of retail
services, including the University Bookstore, a convenience
store, post office, ATMs and banking services; more than
a half-dozen lounge areas; a 250-seat movie theater/auditorium;
a food court; restaurant-coffeehouse; ballroom, and offices
for student organizations and services.
The new Bowen-Thompson
Student Union is expected to open in January of 2002.
(Posted 12-15-00)
|
_08_SIDE-BAR.GIF){kind=small}
