USAO sees “heatwave” of donations this summer supporting school’s mission

While the actual temperatures have been relatively cool for an Oklahoma summer, the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma has been experiencing something of a “heatwave” in charitable giving in recent weeks.

USAO has received three significant donations or pledges that all will ensure the university can continue its tradition of different well into the future, while also targeting very different aspects of its operations, each of which play an important part in the creating the distinctive nature of life on its historic campus.

First, three couples—USAO President John Feaver and his wife Marilyn, Don and Kay Holladay of Norman, and Guy and Caroline Patton of Nichols Hills—have combined forces to provide funding for a reception in celebration of the remarkably talented high school students attending the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, currently on campus for the first time in the institute’s more than 40-year history.

Next, 1984 alumnus Bobby Riley of Oklahoma City and his wife Jill, have pledged a transformative gift to support a total renovation of the USAO amphitheater in Davis Hall. Riley’s contribution provides the launching point for an exciting campaign to upgrade the university’s largest and most popular teaching space, an indispensable part of its signature interdisciplinary studies curriculum as well as many student activities.

Finally, emeritus professors Drs. Jeanne and Mike Mather have made a sizeable addition to the endowed scholarship fund that they recently created. Currently one of the largest endowments on campus and strategically established to support student retention and graduation, it supports students beyond their freshmen year and helps them achieve their ultimate goals of a USAO degree.

As USAO prepares for the resumption of normal campus life this fall, these gifts show how far-reaching and inspiring the institution’s mission continues to be across Oklahoma. Each of these donors understands the specific value that the university’s rigorous yet creative approach to education yields in its graduates. USAO provides students with a thorough grounding in the traditional arts and sciences, allowing them to use this knowledge to effectively adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of 21st-century life and meet the needs of modern society.

For more information or to make a contribution, visit usao.edu/giving.