After an anonymous Western graduate pledged a $1 million donation and the Leah Spratt Charitable Trust pledged a $250,000 donation last week, Western’s Achieving Greatness Capital Campaign hit the $13 million mark.  

At an invite only reception at the Missouri Theater Sept. 16, President Robert Vartabedian, former President James Scanlon and Vice President for University Advancement Dan Nicoson stood on stage and announced two large contributions to the Achieving Greatness campaign.  The two gifts were made known four days apart after the event had been planned.

“We were very surprised,” Vartabedian said. Vartabedian was made aware of the $1 million gift four days before the kick-off event while the Spratt gift was announced the afternoon just before.

“This campaign will do very positive things for current students and future students in years to come,” Vartabedian said. “We are all about transforming the lives of students.”

Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Jeanne Daffron attended the campaign event.

“I think [this campaign] brings new opportunities for us to do things that will move Western forward,” Daffron said.

The pledges will support the renovation and expansion of Western’s math and science facilitates including the construction of Remington Hall named in honor of Wes and Patsy Remington’s $5.5 million pledge to the campaign last October.  

“These contributions say a lot about other people and other organizations and businesses and their confidence and appreciation of our outcomes…the students and their achievements,” Daffron said.

Though the donor of the $1 million pledge wishes to remain anonymous, the gift is specified to be used to create an endowment to support activities in Remington and Agenstein halls after the expansion and renovations are complete. 

“The exact use of this annual endowment income may vary from year to year and the University will have to determine each year how the funds can best be used in support of science and mathematics,” Nicoson said.

The Leah Spratt Charitable Trust was named in honor of a 1921 St. Joseph Junior College graduate.  Joyce Rochambeau and Rene Rochambeau-McCrary are the trustees who made the $250,000 pledge administered by US Bank Wealth Management. 

The $1 million gift was the third seven-figure pledge in the campaign and the reported fourth largest gift in Western’s history.