Crowder College to create first endowed faculty position with gift

Jul. 6—NEOSHO, Mo. — Richard and Mitsie Renick lived a humble life of service and volunteerism in Neosho for more than three decades.

Jean Kelly, a friend and neighbor of the Renicks since they moved to Neosho in 1984, said Mitsie Renick, an engineering analyst, was not one for the spotlight, but the $1.4 million gift she left for Crowder College was enough for her to become the center of attention for at least a day.

It was also enough to leave a mark on the college for decades to come, according to Crowder President Katricia Pierson.

"Mitsie's gift will allow Crowder to endow a new faculty position in engineering technology, further leadership development of our students and help in several other areas," Pierson said. "She was a very vibrant and dynamic woman, very proud of the engineering work that Richard did, very proud of the service she was able to provide. She was really interested in leadership, the running of the country, what are we doing locally, what are we doing at the state level, what are we doing nationally. When we learned about the donation, $1.4 million, wow, what could we do to ensure that we were supporting that legacy of Richard and Mitsie?"

Humble gift

Mitsie Renick, who died in March at age 94, was a retired General Dynamics employee who had a special place in her heart for students and those interested in engineering. She created the trust after the 2009 death of her husband. They were married 46 years.

Kelly said Mitsie would have been humble about the gift and the attention it created.

"She would say, it's just what we saved up," Kelly said. "She didn't want to be in the spotlight. She spent a lot of time (at Crowder) with the theatre department. She and her lady friends would come out to all the plays. She always sponsored students, she would pay for their scholarships through Crowder and she would keep up with the kids after they graduated. She really loved to give time, talent and money."

Three projects

Pierson talked about the different ways this gift will be used.

"Colleges are stewards of time, talent and treasure," Pierson said. "We're stewards of trust, the trust of parents, students, and the communities we serve. We're deeply humbled that we can be trusted with this gift from Richard and Mitsie Renick. When we receive undesignated gifts, we have to think about who is giving us this wonderful gift, what legacy are they bringing that we're being entrusted with."

About $1.26 million of the gift will be placed in an endowment fund and the proceeds, an estimated $50,000 a year, will be used for two programs that Pierson said will represent the legacy of the couple.

Pierson said the college wants to expand the available engineering technology training to meet community needs, and that naming the lead faculty person for this program the Renick Endowed Faculty in Engineering Technology made sense.

Pierson said endowed faculty positions at community colleges in Missouri are rare.

"Endowed faculty positions typically are found at large research universities," she said. "Once we have the curriculum fully fleshed out, we're going to hire someone, it will be an outside hire. We're going to look for someone who really understands engineering technology and hire the best candidate for that position, so they can finish the program, put the finishing touches. We hope to launch that in the fall of 2024."

—Earnings from the fund also will support the Richard & Mitsie Renick President's Leadership Academy, a special learning opportunity for up to 20 Crowder students each year. Participants interact with many influential and creative community leaders during the two-year program.

They will participate in extracurricular activities that focus on leadership knowledge and skills, including trips to Washington, D.C., or Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Pierson said she hopes to have this program in place in the fall of 2024.

—The rest of the $1.4 million, about $140,000, will be used to build a press box at the Roughrider Softball Field at Crowder, which will be named the Renick Press Box, and make other improvements to the field.

"We have a little bit of money that we can also do something in the immediate future," Pierson said. "And in talking with Mitsie, supporting women, supporting what women do and aspire to do, we are able to make improvements to our softball field and help our women athletes."

Wade Williams, assistant director of development and alumni relations, said the softball field has never had a press box, so this will be a significant addition.

Pierson said the college hopes to have these improvements done by the end of summer or early fall.