September 12, 2006

The Dana College Board of Regents recently authorized the creation of the Dana College Foundation to help secure the long-term financial strength of the College.

Dana President Dr. Janet Philipp says the establishment of the Foundation is “a great opportunity for Dana to build upon its fund raising initiatives and help secure its future.”

“ Endowment growth is imperative,” said Philipp, “and the Foundation will be the focus of this new entity and will complement the annual fund, and future campaign goals to secure much-needed operational, scholarship and building fund support.

On September 1, Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, who served as Dana president from 1986-2005, assumed new duties as President of the Dana College Foundation.

The Foundation will be governed by a small board whose sole focus will be to work with the Foundation President to raise and manage the investment of endowment funds through estate gifts and major current endowment gifts.

The members of the Foundation Board are Richard Hunt, Blair telecommunications business owner who will serve as chairman, Richard Vierk, chair of the Dana Board of Regents, and Marc Petersen, Omaha, a retired executive of Tenaska, Inc. who will serve as vice-chairman. Philipp will serve as an ex-officio member.

Dana will be the only recipient of earnings received from gifts designated to the Foundation.

“ I look forward to being able to continue help Dana in this new role,” Christopherson said. “I look forward to being able to travel the country for the Foundation and to complement the annual and campaign fundraising efforts of Dr. Philipp and her team.”

“It is my hope that Dana alumni and friends will step up to the plate to make increasingly larger gifts to support the College on an annual basis, but that they will also each consider making a provision in their estate to benefit Dana longer term,” Hunt said. “Some will choose to make their gifts to Dana directly annually or through their estates. Others, myself included, will find it more to their liking to have their estate or major lifetime gifts to Dana managed by the Foundation Board that is not constrained by the day-to-day operational needs of the College. Either way, Dana students will be the beneficiaries.”