Charitable trusts award $125,000 to Ag Learning Center

Northwest and the Northwest Foundation recently received $75,000 to benefit its Agricultural Learning Center. Participating in the ceremonial check presentation were, left to right, Mitzi Marchant, Northwest’s director of donor engagement; Courtney Nixon, U.S. Bank’s wealth management trust advisor; and Dr. Rod Barr, director of Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences. (Submitted photo)

U.S. Bank Wealth Management, representing an anonymous trust, recently awarded $75,000 to Northwest Missouri State University and the Northwest Foundation to benefit its Agricultural Learning Center.

Courtney Nixon, wealth management trust advisor for U.S. Bank, which operates two branches within the city of Maryville, recently presented the check to Mitzi Marchant, director of donor engagement for Northwest, and Dr. Rod Barr, the director of Northwest’s School of Agricultural Sciences.

In addition to support from the anonymous trust, Northwest received gifts this year of $25,000 from the Harold P. Dugdale Charitable Trust, $20,000 from the Gary G. Taylor Charitable Trust, and $5,000 from the Harry and Helena Messick Charitable Trust.

Each of the trusts are managed by U.S. Bank Wealth Management, and all gifts were provided in support of the Agricultural Learning Center.

“U.S. Bank and each of these three charitable family trusts have been incredibly supportive to Northwest through the years, and on behalf of Northwest, we are so thankful,” Marchant said. “In particular, these generous gifts for the Agricultural Learning Center have been a true testament to their belief in the importance of agriculture as well as higher education in northwest Missouri and the impact they will have for generations to come.”

Northwest is in the final fundraising stage for the $10 million, 29,000-square-foot Agricultural Learning Center, which is now being constructed at the University’s R.T. Wright Farm. The multipurpose facility, with its classrooms and laboratory resources to enhance academic curriculum, will allow for research and scholarly activities centered on crop, soil and livestock resources as well as space for processing agricultural products. It will include space for public and private functions such as producer and agricultural industry meetings, workshops, shows and career development events, and the promotion of agricultural literacy.

For more information about the Agricultural Learning Center or to make a gift to support the project visit www.nwmissouri.edu/ag/agcenter, call 660.562.1248 or email advance@nwmissouri.edu.