As the Florida Institute of Technology
begins preparations to celebrate its
50th anniversary in 2008, university
leaders know its future rests on a firm
foundation thanks to the vision of the
F.W. Olin Foundation.
“Nearly 10 years ago, President
Lawrence Milas and the F.W. Olin Foundation
had
the foresight to see Florida Tech not
as it was, but as it could be,” said
Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese. “Thanks
to their generosity, the Florida Tech
they envisioned is now a reality, and
poised for greater days ahead.”
It’s
easy to measure the foundation’s
impact on campus in dollars and cents.
Total gifts to the university were
$58 million. This includes slightly
more than $16 million in endowment
match,
as Florida Tech’s endowment
grew by $32 million during the Campaign
for
a Rising Star.
Most visual are the
bricks and mortar donations to
the university, which
total more than $33 million. In
addition to
the now-famous F.W. Olin Science
Complex, foundation gifts facilitated
athletic
facilities on campus.
The new laboratory
and classroom buildings have brought
dramatic
change in the
academic life of the university.
One scientist,
Dr. Julia Grimwade, an associate
professor in biology and beneficiary
of the F.W.
Olin Life Sciences Building,
said it best.
“The difference in our professional
lives is like night and day,” she
said. “We
are all extremely grateful
for the amazing opportunities
provided by these facilities.”
Ray Bonhomme, Florida Tech’s budget
director, said the university’s
financial growth is a direct extension
of the Olin gifts, and the benefits can
be felt at every level of the university.
“Beyond the university-wide endowments,
we now have several departmental
endowments that have improved the quality
of these
departments. Departmental
endowments earned $340,000 in the past
year, and
that makes a huge budgetary
difference,” said
Bonhomme.
As the university
transitions into a new era, Florida
Tech Senior
Vice President
for Advancement Thomas
G. Fox said Florida Tech alumni
and
friends
should always
be mindful of the F.W.
Olin legacy.
“The foundation made an important
statement about the potential of Florida
Tech in
the 21st century,” said Fox. “It’s
now up to us—the alumni and friends
of this great university—to build
on the vision of the F.W. Olin Foundation.
How will we build upon this legacy? The
future rests in our hands.”
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The 13th annual Sporting Affair was the
most successful athletics fundraiser
in the university’s history, netting
$177,000 for athletics scholarships.
“We are overwhelmed and humbled
by the generosity of our Panther alumni
and
friends who made this event such a
resounding success,” said Bill
Jurgens, director of athletics. “Their
generosity will make a profound difference
in the
lives of our student-athletes in the
coming academic year.”
The day-long
Sporting Affair began with the Panther
Invitational Golf
Tournament
at Suntree Country Club. This year’s
winners were Gary Mitchell, Steve
Kenyon, Julie Rambus and Scott Baker.
Each
winner received a panther sculpture
and will
have their names engraved on the
tournament trophy housed in the Charles
and Ruth
Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation.
Following
the golf tournament, ABC and ESPN
personality Terry Bowden
joined the festivities during the
Second Annual
Chopper Dropper. When he wasn’t
personally selecting the winning
golf ball, Bowden was interviewing
Florida
Tech President Anthony J. Catanese
live on the air. Florida Tech trustee
David
Clayton sponsored the winning golf
ball and declined to accept the
$25,000 award.
This left the Athletics department
with the entire $50,000 raised.
The
day was topped off by a dinner
and live auction, hosted by Panther
soccer
legend and trustee, Bino Campanini.
Janet Price, director of athletic partnerships,
said many people
had a hand in the
Sporting Affair’s success.
“This would not have been possible
without the efforts of our co-chairs,
Joe Flammio
and Brent Peoples. Dr. Richard
Baney headed up our Chopper Dropper for
the
second year in a row,” said Price. “Many
other members of the community bought
and sold golf balls and contributed to
our
unprecedented success.” |
