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9/30/2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University has received $640,000 in matching funds from the Board of Regents Support Fund to complete the Melba Law Steeg Endowed Chair in Educational Technology Leadership and the Dan and Lilly Chase and daughters Marty Causey and Lisa Chase Endowed Professorship in the College of Education.
The Steeg Endowed Chair was established with a private multi-year gift of $400,000. Matching funds of $600,000 will create the university’s second $1 million endowed chair. The Chase Endowed Professorship was created with a gift of $60,000 made in 2004 and $40,000 in matching funds.
“We are pleased that the Melba Law Steeg Endowed Chair in Educational Technology Leadership and the Dan and Lilly Chase and daughters Marty Causey and Lisa Chase Endowed Professorship were able to receive matching funds so quickly,” said NSU President Dr. Randall J. Webb. “These endowments will greatly assist the College of Education. In addition, they also honor individuals who have done a great deal to help Northwestern, along with its faculty, staff and students do great things.”
According to NSU Acting Dean of Education Dr. Vicki Gentry, the Steeg Chair will provide funding for the College of Education to seek and hire a new faculty member in the field of educational technology leadership.
“We will conduct a national search and seek to hire someone who is well qualified to lead in implementing our master’s of education redesigned program in educational technology leadership,” said Gentry. “The educational technology
program has had significant growth in recent years and resources have not always been available to support this growth. We are extremely pleased that we will be able to add another faculty member to this program, which will in turn allow us to better meet educational technology student academic needs.”
Northwestern was founded in 1884 as the State Normal School with a mission of preparing teachers. The College of Education at NSU is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and has produced many of the top educators in the South.
Over the past decade, the College of Education has taken a leadership role in developing and implementing technology in the classroom. NSU’s master’s program in educational technology is one of the region’s most innovative.
Steeg is a native of Mansfield and an alumna of Northwestern, receiving a bachelor’s degree in education. She has been an active supporter of the university, serving as president of the NSU Foundation from 2001 until 2003. The Melba L. Steeg Endowed Professorship in Primary Education was set up in 2002 with a donation from The Steeg Family Foundation of New Orleans.
In 1994, she was named to the NSU Hall of Distinction, the Long Purple Line. Steeg was named to the NSU College of Business Hall of Fame in 1998. She received an honorary doctorate from Northwestern in 2003.
Dan Chase, who is from Baton Rouge, is a 1957 graduate of Northwestern. He lettered in football at Northwestern. Dan Chase has served as a member of the NSU Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the NSU President’s Council and the Select 100.
He was honored with induction into the Long Purple Line and received an honorary doctorate from Northwestern earlier this year. The Chases have also supported the university by making a donation to set up a fully endowed scholarship at NSU and frequently hosting alumni meetings and other Northwestern recruitment events at their home.
The Chase Professorship will allow the College of Education to support the work of a faculty member who will lead the redesign of one of its programs in accordance with Board of Regents guidelines, according to Gentry.
Contact:
David West
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
http://www.nsula.edu/news
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