The Sesquicentennial Plaza outside of the Student Union Building is being renamed the Sandra K. Giachino Reavey Sesquicentennial Plaza.
Reavey was a longtime friend of Truman State University, said Director of Development Charles Hunsaker. She then graduated from Truman in 1962 with a Bachelor of Secondary Education in business education. She served for several years on the University Foundation Board of Directors and a regional committee for the “Bright Minds Bright Futures” fundraising campaign. Additionally, Reavey founded a scholarship in her name, which goes to students from Adair County majoring in business. When Reavey died Jan. 17, 2018, she left a $1 million gift for Truman to be pulled from her estate. Truman is renaming the Sesquicentennial Plaza to honor her gift and her years of service to Truman.
Truman has a strict policy for obtaining naming rights. To name a project in one’s honor, the honoree is first evaluated based on their giving to the University and their service, both of which Reavey demonstrated. The suggested project is then forwarded to the Board of Governors and the Leadership of the Foundation Board of Directors for approval. The remodeling project was approved at the Board’s February meeting.
The remodeling of the plaza will begin this summer. The current step down from the SUB into the plaza will be removed and replaced with a gentle incline. Truman will entirely redo the fountain, with the water basin filling more easily and more frequently than in the past. The new fountain will be easier to clear of snow in the winter and can be turned off to create more space for student events on the plaza. The project should be completed by the end of summer.