Sept. 4, 2002 | KU Radio News Line

Audio



Kansas City family pledges $3 million for Edwards Campus expansion


Contact: Frank Barthell, University Relations, (785) 864-8869.

Radio News Line text:
Kansas City foundation gift to benefit KU Edwards Campus

TODAY UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CHANCELLOR ROBERT HEMENWAY ANNOUNCED A 3-MILLION-DOLLAR GIFT FROM A KANSAS CITY FAMILY FOUNDATION. THE MONEY WILL ALLOW AN EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS EDWARDS CAMPUS IN OVERLAND PARK.

THE PLEDGE FROM THE VICTOR AND HELEN REGNIER (reh-NEER) CHARITABLE FOUNDATION WILL HELP SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION OF A SECOND CLASSROOM BUILDING ON THE CAMPUS.

VICTOR REGNIER AND HIS WIFE HELEN DEVELOPED HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT JOHNSON COUNTY.

ROBERT REGNIER IS ONE OF THREE REGNIER CHILDREN. HE CO-DIRECTS THE FAMILY FOUNDATION AND IS PRESIDENT OF THE BANK OF BLUE VALLEY.

REGNIER SAYS HIS FATHER WOULD BE PROUD TO SUPPORT HIGHER EDUCATION IN JOHNSON COUNTY.
Regnier: "He felt very strongly about education and he felt very strongly about the development of Johnson County. The University of Kansas is a pre-eminent public institution of higher education.

"To have their presence in Johnson County improved or increased as result of this new building, I think it would be something right down his alley." (18 sec.)

ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF THE STUDENTS ATTENDING THE EDWARDS CAMPUS WORK FULL TIME. REGNIER SAYS THE FOUNDATION PLEDGE WILL BENEFIT STUDENTS SEEKING A LESS TRADITIONAL EDUCATION.
Regnier: "Not all the education now is done on a four-year campus, at a prescribed location. Education is changing. And I think this is a great reaction to that change and it's a proactive reaction." (11 sec.)

K-U VICE CHANCELLOR ROBERT CLARK SAYS THE EDWARDS CAMPUS CURRENTLY OFFERS 22 DEGREE PROGRAMS AND SERVES 2-THOUSAND STUDENTS. THE NEW BUILDING WILL ALLOW THE CAMPUS TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THOSE FIGURES.
Clark: "So we should be able to, we think, double the number of academic programs including graduate programs and professional certificate programs and perhaps double the number of students to about 4-thousand." (11 sec.)

CLARK SAYS AN EXPANDED EDWARDS CAMPUS WILL HELP THE JOHNSON COUNTY ECONOMY. ABOUT 4-HUNDRED STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM THE EDWARDS CAMPUS EACH YEAR, MOST WITH MASTER'S DEGREES. THE U-S CENSUS BUREAU ESTIMATES THAT INDIVIDUALS WITH MASTER'S DEGREES EARN 10-THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE ANNUALLY THAN THOSE WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES.
Clark: "Well, if we graduate 400 students in a year, that's 4-million dollars' worth of additional income that gets into this economy and over the 10 years that we have been here, that between 300- and 400-million dollars of impact that this campus is having on the economy alone in this region." (15 sec.)

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS NEXT MONTH ON THE 82-THOUSAND-SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY. IT WILL FEATURE 21 CLASSROOMS, A 240-SEAT AUDITORIUM AND OFFICES FOR 45 FACULTY MEMBERS.

THE NEW BUILDING WILL BE NAMED VICTOR AND HELEN REGNIER HALL, PENDING APPROVAL OF THE KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS.

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