Truman State University has received a $1.1 million donation from the Sunderland Foundation to support the Greenwood project, an initiative to turn the old Greenwood school building into a regional autism therapy and diagnostic center. One major intention behind the new center is to provide Truman students with the educational opportunity of working alongside professionals in diagnosing and serving patients.
We, The Index Editorial Board, think this is a worthwhile initiative and the Sunderland Foundation’s donation is a big step in the right direction. We are also happy to see that the University is actively seeking donations as this is an expensive project with an expected cost of $7.6 million.
Dave Rector, vice president for administration, finance and planning said the University is preparing to ask the state of Missouri for an additional $4.4 million for the 2021 fiscal year. While this seems to be a lofty request, it is encouraging and exciting to see such confidence and enthusiasm for this project from the University.
The University also did a commendable job of recognizing that the value in outside funding for securing match money from the state. Rector said the governor likes to see outside funding before matching funds for projects like Greenwood. This type of fundraising is also commonplace for Truman in areas such as Tel-Alumni and the brick campaign for the new plaza, so it makes sense to use the same approach with the Greenwood project.
We would like to see the University continue to push forward on this project with the same momentum.