The Cooper Foundation of Lincoln honored former trustee John W. White with a $51,600 grant to Nebraska Wesleyan University in his memory.
The grant will be used to increase the impact of the Cooper Foundation Center for Academic Resources through increased staffing and hours and implementation of the Supplemental Instruction Model.
Jack Campbell, chairman of the Cooper Foundation, said the grant is an ideal way to honor White. “It supports the institution he led for so long and so well and because it was in his last year as president of Wesleyan that Dr. White asked the Cooper Foundation to help establish the center so, as he put it, ‘great minds can be empowered by great skills,’” Campbell said.
The center’s goal is to help students refine writing, speaking, study, computer and foreign language skills as well as to improve learning for special needs students.
“Now, 15 years later, we are able to help the center he championed grow,” Campbell said.
Cooper’s funding will support all of the startup and added operational costs for two years. Wesleyan will fully fund the center after this growth phase.
White joined the Cooper board in 1997, immediately upon retirement as president of Wesleyan.
The Cooper Foundation approved 14 other grants for a total of $199,935 in May. All grant recipients are in Lincoln, unless otherwise noted:
Community Development Resources: $10,000. Support for CDR, which works to expand economic opportunity for small businesses — including low-income, minority and female business owners — by providing access to capital, technical assistance and training.
Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools: $10,000. Support toward updated branding, communications and technology infrastructure.
Lincoln Association For Traditional Arts: $5,335. Support for a collaboration between LAFTA and the Lied Center for Performing Arts during the 2011-12 concert season. LAFTA will hold two concerts (Eliza Gilkyson and Neal & Leandra) at the Johnny Carson Theater and will co-sponsor Cherish the Ladies on the Lied Center’s main stage.
Lincoln Civic Choir: $3,000. Support for the organization’s rebranding as Lincoln Choral Artists.
Lincoln Community Playhouse: $20,000. General operating support. Lincoln Community Playhouse offers a variety of opportunities for children, youth and adults to participate in live theater, including productions and arts education.
Lincoln Music Teachers Association: $5,000. Support for the Music Outreach Program, which provides music lessons for low-income students.
Meadowlark Music Festival: $5,000. General operating support. Meadowlark Music Festival is Nebraska’s only summer chamber music festival.
Nebraska Land Trust: $20,000. Support toward the salary for a new director of outreach and administration. The Nebraska Land Trust works to protect important natural habitats and landscapes through education, partnerships and conservation easements.
Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Omaha: $10,000. Support toward the Educational Fall Tour of “Much Ado About Nothing” that will reach 38 schools and 7,000 students statewide.
NeighborWorks Lincoln: $15,000. Toward the Community Engagement Initiative that will provide tools and techniques to develop and enhance the leadership skills of residents interested in building a stronger neighborhood community.
NET Foundation for Television: $25,000. Toward the development of a website for the Platte River Time-Lapse Project, which will document the water flows and uses along the Platte through Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.
TeamMates of Lincoln Public Schools: $10,000. Support for the TeamMates Against Bullying program to address the needs of youths affected by bullying through one-on-one relationships with adult mentors.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln African American and African Studies Program: $5,000. Support for the Oct. 19-22 40th anniversary celebration of the African American and African Studies Program.
Nebraska Repertory Theatre: $5,000. Support for summer internships in theater production, stage management and public relations to three high school students from Lincoln.
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