Goppert Foundation provides support to Martindale renovation

Corey Strider, the vice president of The Goppert Foundation and a Northwest alumnus, stands in front of Martindale Hall, which is undergoing a renovation this summer. The Goppert Foundation is providing financial support for the renovation project. (Photo by Todd Weddle/Northwest Missouri State University)

The Goppert Foundation has agreed to support Northwest Missouri State University’s renovation of one of the campus’s oldest buildings with a $200,000 gift to the Northwest Foundation.

Martindale Hall, which opened at Northwest in 1926 and houses the University’s School of Health Science and Wellness, is undergoing changes this summer after the Board of Regents approved a $1.3 million plan to renovate the third floor of the building – $1 million of which is being funded through the generosity of donors.

The project targets a 4,260-square-foot section that includes multipurpose space and storage areas. The upgrades will provide academic laboratory spaces to support human services and school counseling programs as well as faculty and staff offices.

Corey Strider, who serves as vice president of The Goppert Foundation as well as president and chief executive officer of Goppert Financial Bank of Lathrop, Missouri, said it saw the need to support the project as part of an effort to uplift the School and students entering the medical field.

“We realized there’s a huge need to support and get people into the medical field right now,” Strider said. “The demand has picked up, and there’s just an ever-growing need. What better way to support Northwest with renovating this building and especially with that field in mind.”

The Goppert Foundation remains a significant supporter of Northwest, having previously provided funding assistance for scholarships and the University’s Agricultural Learning Center. Additionally, The Goppert Foundation supports initiatives in the areas of child and youth services, social and human services, the economically disadvantaged population, education, hospitals and minorities.

“Northwest continues to provide quality education for students,” said Strider, who is a member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors and a 1996 Northwest alumnus. “The University has done a great job of saying, ‘This is what we need, and this is what we’re doing, and we will be very responsible with the funds that you give us.’ So far, that’s been the case, and that’s why we continue to give.”

The third-floor renovation of Martindale Hall is the first phase of long-term plans to update the entire building, which was last renovated during the mid-1970s and includes Martindale Gymnasium. The Missouri General Assembly approved $8.5 million for the $17 million project through a matching grant.

“The Northwest Foundation is so grateful for the continued generosity of The Goppert Foundation,” said Mitzi Marchant, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the Northwest Foundation. “As the University and the Northwest Foundation secure the $8.5 million match requirement from the state of Missouri for this project, partnerships such as those with The Goppert Foundation are essential and appreciated.”

The Northwest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, develops and stewards philanthropic resources for the benefit of the Northwest Missouri State University and its students. It is governed by a volunteer board and staffed by members of Northwest’s Office of University Advancement.

To make a gift to support Northwest, including Martindale Hall, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/GiveOnline.