|
 
The Mizzou Tigers for
Tigers program is working to better understand tigers and
enable them to survive in the wild.
|
$2 Million Gift Supports Tigers in the Wild and on the Court
A $2 million gift to the For
All We Call Mizzou campaign at the University of Missouri-Columbia
will help save wild tigers and support Mizzou basketball Tigers.
The gift from MU alumnus Bruce Loewenberg, BSF '61, includes $1
million to the College of
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources for the Mizzou
Tigers for Tigers program and $1 million that will establish
scholarships for men's
basketball.
“This gift highlights Mr. Loewenberg's
continued enthusiasm for Mizzou student-athletes and the department
of intercollegiate athletics, as well as his strong interest in
worldwide conservation efforts to preserve wild tigers,”
said MU Chancellor Brady Deaton. “We are very grateful for
his support of the University.”
Mizzou Tigers for Tigers (MT4T) was organized
in 1999 as the nation's first tiger mascot conservation program
to “ensure that there are wild tigers as long as there are
Mizzou Tigers.” The largest living cat on earth, tiger populations
have declined by more than 95 percent in the last century, according
to the World Wildlife Fund. Conservation experts estimate that
today, only 3,000 to 5,000 tigers remain in the wild due to habitat
loss, poaching and loss of prey. MT4T plans to use the Loewenberg
gift to work for the survival of tigers by:
- Delivering professional education and training
programs to enable people in tiger range countries to preserve
the species
- Providing opportunities for MU students
to participate in tiger research and international conservation
“Bruce understands that the survival
of our world tiger populations rests on education. His generous
gift will play a major role in our ability to educate MU graduate
students to aid in tiger conservation research efforts,”
said Tom Payne, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture,
Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). “Bruce also realizes
the people living in the tiger habitats are the first line for
education toward tiger conservation. Through training programs,
his support will help provide that needed education.”
The other half of Loewenberg's gift will fund
one or more men's basketball scholarships. This gift will contribute
to the Mizzou Department of Intercollegiate Athletics' portion
of the For All We Call Mizzou campaign, called the Champions
for Life capital campaign, which has raised in excess of $125
million.
“Bruce Loewenberg has been a great supporter
of Mizzou Athletics for
numerous years,” said Mike Alden, MU athletic director.
“I would like to thank Bruce for ensuring the future financial
stability of our men's basketball program and the Department of
Intercollegiate Athletics.”
Bruce Loewenberg says
he is repaying his debt to the University, the "single
most influential force" in his life.
|
Loewenberg also has included a $2 million
gift in his estate plan for the Delta Sigma Phi Foundation 21st
Century Fund. The gift is earmarked for the fraternity's chapter
at MU. Loewenberg, who served a two-year term as president of
the chapter, is vice president of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity
National Board of Directors. He hopes that the foundation will
use his gift for freshman scholarships and to loan funds to the
Mizzou chapter for new facillities.
Loewenberg has a long history of involvement
in the Mizzou community. In 1958, he was student manager of the
MU Tigers under Dan Devine, and in 1961, he graduated with a bachelor's
degree in forestry.
Loewenberg is a charter member of the St. Louis Tiger Club, a
life member of the MU Alumni Association and a longtime participant
in the CAFNR Unlimited Banquet and Auctions. He also serves on
the board of directors and is currently vice president of the
Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity National Board of Directors, having
previously served a two-year term as a local chapter fraternity
president.
Loewenberg has provided annual support to
MU since his graduation and is a Jefferson
Club member at the diplomat level. He has donated to MU from
his personal art collection, including a Bengal Tiger oil painting
displayed in the MU Athletic Department and a bronze tiger statue
on display in the lobby of the Reynolds Alumni Center. His support
for MU has enhanced programs and facilities and provided scholarship
opportunities for numerous students.
“The University has been the single
most influential force in my life,” Loewenberg said. “Whatever
I have accomplished in life comes back to my association with
Mizzou. The confidence that I gained here as an undergraduate
was transferred to my professional career. By being in a position
to donate to the University, I believe I am repaying a debt.”
Loewenberg grew up in Raytown, Mo., and served
in the U.S. Army after graduation from MU. He later joined the
IBM Corporation in Dallas, Texas, followed by a position in the
U.S. Forest Service in Wyoming. He stayed in Wyoming for six months
before returning to executive sales positions, first with IBM
and later with Xerox in St. Louis. In 1969, he joined Maritz Motivation
Company, where he sold performance improvement products to major
U.S. markets for 25 years. That same year, he bought acreage in
Pike County, Mo., and later began a cattle business there. Today,
he specializes in raising Salers Cattle, a beef breed with French
origins.
The For All We Call Mizzou campaign has a
goal of raising $1 billion by December 2008. Reaching this goal
will enhance MU's ability to compete nationally and internationally
for the best students and faculty and will provide broad access
for students of all economic backgrounds to Missouri's flagship
University. The campaign has raised $736.8 million to date.
For more information about Mizzou Tigers for
Tigers, please contact:
Matt Gompper
Associate Professor of Fisheries
and Wildlife
Co-Chair Mizzou Tigers for Tigers steering committee
573-882-9424, Gompperm@missouri.edu
Dana Morris
Coordinator, Mizzou Tigers for Tigers
(573) 882-2187, MorrisD@missouri.edu
Mark Ryan
Director of the School of Natural
Resources, Curator's Teaching Professor
573-882-0314, RyanMR@missouri.edu
Archives
| Comments | Home SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe
| Change Your
Address | Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
DMCA and other copyright information.
All rights reserved.
An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
Questions? Comments? E-mail comments@mizzoualumni.org
Last Update:
March 12, 2007
|
