Vicky Smith
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Select students, faculty and staff attended the 2016 Endowment Appreciation Dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 in the MCC Ballroom.
The event honored the donors of endowed scholarships, lectureships and faculty positions. The students and faculty in attendance all received an endowment and gathered to recognize the individuals who funded these endeavors.
In a letter to the donors, President Dr. John McArthur said students and faculty would not be able to experience the academic and scholarship opportunities that are vital to their success without donor assistance.
“Because of our loyal supporters, Cameron has a greater number of endowed faculty positions than any other regional public university in Oklahoma,” he said. “These positions make a direct contribution to the quality of teaching and learning at Cameron by enabling academic endeavors that would not otherwise be possible.”
McArthur expressed his gratitude for the continued support of donors.
“Your investment in the education of our students, development of faculty and Cameron University’s success makes a difference every day,” he said.
Director of Bands Dr. Matthew Mireles received the Joye R. Lentz Professorship in Music, one of the endowments. In a previous interview, Mireles said the purpose of his endowment is to assist the Cameron Music Department’s outreach to the community.
“I’ve been highly involved with the high schools and middle schools in the Southwest Oklahoma Region,” he said. “I’m just taking it on as a huge responsibility for me to just be as big a resource to the music education community in this area as I can.”
According to Mireles, this opportunity has also given him a chance to give back and spend time with a community he has grown to love.
“As soon as I got here, they were welcoming to me,” he said. “So this position that Cameron [gave me] has now allowed me to be with them even more.”
For more information about Cameron’s endowed scholarships, lectureships and faculty positions, visit https://www.cameron.edu/cu_foundation.