MNU announced today that it received a $1 million gift from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation to fund a scholarship endowment. The gift is part of the Mabee Foundation’s 75^th anniversary celebration. The endowment will provide funding to help transform the lives of students seeking an education as well as those they serve in their future careers. It is the second-largest endowment gift in MNU’s 57-year history.

MNU President David J. Spittal expressed his gratitude for the generous gift and the trust it embodies.

“We are humbled and honored to receive this particularly significant gift that goes directly to assist students,” Spittal said. “The Mabee Foundation is already a big part of every MNU student’s life thanks to its generous funding of multiple building projects throughout our history. With this gift, the Mabee Foundation continues its indelible mark on the MNU community. We are grateful for their support of the university’s mission.”

Spittal says the Mabee Foundation has been an essential partner in the successful expansion of MNU’s campus by providing over $6 million in capital project funding through seven challenge grants. The latest capital gift was $2 million toward MNU’s Copeland Athletic Complex which begins construction in September. This scholarship endowment brings the total gifts to MNU from the Mabee Foundation to over $7 million.

Scholarship funding from the Mabee Endowed Scholarship will be available in the 2024-2025 academic year. Recipients must demonstrate the characteristics associated with John and Lottie Mabee, such as strong work ethic, volunteerism, generosity, integrity, honesty, humility, and charity, as determined by the Selection Committee. Students must also be residents of Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Arkansas.