By Vince Frieden

Kathie Burgoon '66 MA '68 (center), longtime geography instructor at Miami Hamilton, with Miami President Emeritus Phillip Shriver and Martha Shriver at the groundbreaking for The Conservatory on the Hamilton campus.

Osama Ettouney, chair and professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering, brainstorms with students in the Oxford campus's new engineering building.

Provost Jeffrey Herbst (left) with Peg Faimon, professor of graphic design and curriculum coordinator of the Armstrong Interactive Media Studies (AIMS) Institute, and Glenn Platt, director of AIMS and professor of marketing, at the dedication of the Roger and Joyce Howe Student Center for Writing Excellence.

Miami's regional championship Mock Trial team: (front, l-r) Angie Daling, Alex Bluebond (all-regional witness), Kevin Harrison, Jeremy Grondin, Drew Dorner; (back) Alan Cook, Jason Hunt, and Tom Jeffcott (all-regional attorney). Daniel Herron '75, professor of business law, founded the program.

Kathie Burgoon '66 MA '68 appreciates the value of a college scholarship.

During the Great Depression, Burgoon's father earned a scholarship that paid his way through the College of Wooster. Because of that education, John Burgoon became a successful banker and was able to fund college educations for both his daughters and two of his grandsons.

"That one scholarship yielded five college educa-tions," Kathie Burgoon said. "My hope is that each scholarship I can create will have a similar impact."

Newly retired from Miami's Hamilton campus, the longtime geography instructor has endowed five scholarships for Miami Hamilton students. In addition to supporting those who often hold jobs and run households while taking classes, the scholarships also express her faith in Miami.

"If you really believe in something, you have to be willing to step up to the plate and invest your time and money. Most of [Miami's faculty and staff] have benefited and grown from our experience with the university. It's a matter of loyalty and of investing in ourselves."

To date, Miami faculty and staff have invested more than $6.4 million toward the Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor. According to Osama Ettouney, who arrived on campus in 1986 and has a similar history of giving, such dedication is not unusual.

"It's a matter of valuing where you are," said Ettouney, chair and professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering. "A lot of Miami's faculty and staff have been here a long time. There's a real sense of commitment, service, and loyalty here."

Building on that tradition, President David Hodge last spring introduced the Faculty, Staff, and Retiree Endowment program, which provides matching funds for current and retired faculty and staff who meet a minimum commitment.

So far, 33 endowments have been created to support scholarships or specific programs that match donors' passions.

In Jeffrey Herbst's case, his passion evolved into a scholarship for overseas study. Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Miami since 2005, he is an authority on sub-Saharan Africa, its politics and its issues, having spent time in 15 African nations, including extended stays in Zimbabwe, Ghana, and South Africa.

"Studying abroad has been important in my life and throughout my career," said Herbst who, with his wife, Sharon, established the Sharon and Jeffrey Herbst Scholarship for Overseas Study. "The opportunity to create this scholarship aligned with my interest and my belief that studying overseas is a critical experience for Miami students to have in the 21st century."

As evidence of the growing importance of study abroad, he cites a number of factors - emerging global economies, falling test scores of U.S. students internationally, and the need for understanding the challenges of a post-9/11 world.

"There are 300 million people in the U.S., but there are more than 6 billion in the world," he said. "We're excited to support students who seek a better understanding of the world."

Also vital to the undergraduate experience are co-curricular programs that allow students to apply their learning. One prominent example is Miami's Mock Trial team, which has won 10 regional titles and a 2001 national championship.

While the participants enjoy competing as attorneys and witnesses in simulated court cases against students from other universities, Mock Trial's real value rests in the skills it develops, said Daniel Herron '75, a professor of business law and founding faculty member of the program.

"The experience teaches students to apply their critical thinking skills, improve their verbal skills, work as a team, and see both sides of an issue," he said. "They're learning skills that are going to benefit them no matter where they go in life."

Herron has witnessed Miami's program grow from fewer than 15 students to nearly 40 plus four faculty coaches. His creation of the Daniel J. Herron Mock Trial Support Fund is his way of preserving that legacy while honoring both his alma mater and employer.

"You reach a point when you wonder what type of legacy you're leaving behind," he said. "I hope when I'm gone that Mock Trial will continue at Miami, and, through the endowment program, I'm helping ensure that."

While types of giving vary for Miami faculty and staff, Ettouney said one passion unites them all.

"Teaching is a fantastic opportunity and a wonderful profession. It's so rewarding to watch students develop over four years into these incredible professionals. We're here for the students, and we're getting back everything we give."

Vince Frieden, a publications assistant in advancement services, and his wife, Jill '01 MAcc '02, have set up the Larry Holland Memorial Scholarship for Naval ROTC in honor of Jill's late father.

Back to the Miamian Magazine Spring 2008 Web page