EIU Media Relations

Foundation Board, Volunteers "Stay the Course" During Hard Times

Since its inception in 1953, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation has made giving its goal.

Specifically, the Foundation exists for three purposes:

• To encourage and provide private support to EIU and the region it serves, and to promote the ideals of volunteerism and philanthropy among alumni, friends and university employees;
• To assist and support EIU's educational and cultural mission through encouraging philanthropic gifts of cash, property and other materials of educational and artistic value; and
• To enhance the educational activities of EIU students and employees by participating in and supporting academic and artistic programming through scholarships and grants.

During Fiscal Year 2008 alone, the Eastern Illinois University Foundation distributed nearly $2 million in student scholarships (more than $790,000) and grants (in excess of $1.1 million) to the university.

EIU Foundation Board President Timothy Gover of Mattoon would like to see distributions grow. However, he also acknowledges that, due to developments with the national economy and the continued budget crisis at the state level, Eastern is faced with serious cutbacks and shortfalls in its operating budget.

"Now more than ever, the university will depend on our members and donors to help support new initiatives in programming, research and equipment, and provide increased scholarship opportunities for it students," he said. "And the board will explore new and innovative ways to strengthen our partnership with the university."

Gover, who retired as a professor of finance from Eastern in 1995, is joined on the 11-member EIU Foundation Board by Jeffrey Scott (vice president) of Richmond Hill, Ga.; Donald Gher (treasurer) of Bellevue, Wash.; Judith Sunderman (secretary), Steven Childers and David Maurer, all of Charleston; Jason Anselment of Springfield; George Paulik of Marietta, Ga.; James Schnorf of Longwood, Fla.; Charles Witters of Las Vegas, Nev.; and Mariann Younger of Findlay, Ohio.

Additional Foundation members have been appointed as volunteer committeemen: Martha Brown, Edward Corley and Alice Shawver, all of Charleston; Thomas McDaniel of Fishers, Ind.; James Bradham of Las Vegas, Nev.; Dan Cunningham of Mattoon; Todd Hamerlinck of Springfield; Gary Kling of Champaign; Stephen Wilson of Mason, Ohio; William Robinson of Danville, Calif; Floyd Akins of Iowa City, Iowa; and Robert Glover of McGaw Park, Ill.

The EIU Foundation Board conducts all of its business through eight working committees which bring their findings and recommendations to the full board at its regularly scheduled meetings. Volunteers bring an added dimension to board discussions and deliberations, allow the board to tap into the diverse talents and expertise of its members, and provide the board with a cadre of potential candidates for future vacancies on the board.