Hummel Scholarship
On a hot August day, charged with an air of mystery, 200 students gathered between Jesse Hall and the Columns. Only a few days before, this group had received an email informing them that an as-yet-unnamed donor had awarded them a scholarship. They were invited to Jesse to learn more.
When Chancellor Alexander Cartwright took the podium, he teased the group a bit at first by drawing out his speech. Cartwright explained how Robert C. Hummel was educated at a public university (The Ohio State University), and that he had worked his way through school to earn a doctorate in veterinary medicine. The summer before Hummel left for college, a friend of his father’s had stopped for a visit at the Hummel family farm in Fostoria, Ohio. Upon learning that the young Hummel was college-bound, he gave him $200 to help cover costs. Along with the gift came a remark that not only offered advice and inspiration but also set a condition: “You can only accept this gift if someday you will help a student go to college,” his friend said.
Following his father’s wishes, Hummel practiced veterinary medicine for a few years before going on to build Animal Health International, a successful veterinary pharmaceutical sales and distribution business. But he never forgot what the $200 gift from a family friend meant to him and what it required of him. After selling the company in 2015, he and his wife, Carole, along with their children, Rob and Jennifer, created The Hummel Family Foundation. The Hummels take delight in using the foundation to offer scholarships to students who desire a college education and who have hearts for service.
When Cartwright finally called out the scholarship amount — $2,500, renewable annually — shouts went up, smiles flashed, mouths gaped, hands covered faces, and one student fell to the ground in a dramatic gesture of gratitude.
(Visit giving.missouri.edu to learn more about Hummel’s story.)
A Tuition-free Promise
When Chancellor Alexander Cartwright signed the Missouri Land Grant Compact in August, it assured low-income Missourians that they’d be able to afford Mizzou. Starting in fall 2018, their tuition and fees will be fully paid for.
That’s just what Rachel Slings, a freshman bioengineering major, wanted to hear. The aspiring orthopedic surgeon wants to start medical school debt-free. Slings is one of the estimated 3,500 Mizzou students who are Missouri residents and recipients of the federal Pell Grant — free money for low-income students to attend college. But the Pell Grant is capped at $5,920 per year, and Mizzou’s tuition and fees are $11,008. The Missouri Land Grant Compact promises to make up the difference.
For students, such as Slings, who are Missouri residents and in the Honors College, the promise goes even further: The compact will cover any unmet need up to the full $28,000 cost of attendance, which includes, room, board, books and personal expenses.
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Pelema Morrice says it is part of training a skilled workforce. “Our first and foremost job is to educate the citizens of Missouri,” he says.
Stretching Student Dollars
MU students borrow 25 percent less than the national average for college. And now, a suite of new cost-saving initiatives benefits students even more:
A $2,500 Border State Scholars award for students from Missouri’s border states helps offset the $15,588 out-of-state tuition charge.
The Black and Gold Scholarship, a merit award for children of alumni living out of state, has increased to half of the out-of-state tuition charge for students with a 25 or 26 ACT score. The fee is still waived for students with higher scores.
An ROTC scholarship will cover freshman-year room and board (nearly $11,000) for qualifying students in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines ROTC.
A new textbook initiative increases use of reduced-cost digital textbooks and free, open educational resources, reducing the average textbook cost in The Mizzou Store by 18 percent.
New room and board cost-cutting measures will shave an estimated 3.5 percent from the cost of Mizzou’s most popular housing and dining plans.