Our donors

Leaders on campus, leaders in their careers, leaders in philanthropy: Derrick ’93 and the Reverend Dr. Tracy Smith ’90 Malone came to North Central College with clear goals, honed their leadership skills and now are living the life they dreamt as young teens. On campus, Tracy was active with the Multicultural Student Association and she was one of the change agents who initiated the Voices of Praise gospel choir, Gospel Extravaganza and new events for the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. She is also proud that she helped hire the first multicultural affairs director. “I’d been mentored in

Since 1949, the United Methodist Foundation in Northern Illinois is committed to excellence by enhancing the stewardship ministry of local churches and church-related agencies. The United Methodist Foundation in Northern Illinois encourages lifelong generosity among United Methodists in the region by offering an exemplary investment program for local church funds with several options to meet the investment goals of the church or church-related agency. They also assist donors who wish to make charitable gifts; provide consultation and seminars on financial stewardship; endowment funds and

Information about the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation : History Founded in 1965, the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation ( UMHEF ) is indebted to Chancellor William Pearson Tolley, President of Syracuse University (1942-1969), for his vision of supporting church-related education. That vision led him to provide the initial leadership that created the Foundation. During the Methodist General Conference Higher Education Banquet at the 1964 General Conference, Tolley proposed a foundation to raise $50 – $100 million to provide scholarships for Methodist students attending

Verne Dietrich accomplished much through teaching, research and inspiration of those around him. Before World War II, Verne earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Purdue University. He had the equivalent of five majors – mathematics, chemistry, physics, history, and religion. He also played in the Purdue marching band and was a charter member of one of the earliest student co-ops. In 1953 Verne relocated his family to Naperville, where he served as head of the Physics Department at North Central College and later as a consultant in science and engineering at Spraying Systems Company

North Central alumnus, Vernon Givens, attributes a lot of his understanding about what it means to be a good human and achieve success in his passions to his Uncle Booker. Vernon earned a Computer Science degree from North Central College in ’98 and established a successful career as an IT consultant traveling throughout the US. As he found his footing professionally, Vernon frequently looked to Booker to learn and gain confidence from his Uncle’s influence. Vernon joined Booker in real estate ventures and more recently began pursuing a new construction development business in Chicago

Volunteers in Action is an organization designed to provide a framework to meet the needs of the community with a good pool of dedicated volunteers. Volunteers in Action provides volunteer services and fundraising expertise to numerous DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will county charitable organizations. The primary purpose of the Volunteers in Action Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to students pursuing careers in health care or social service, including the ministry. Students applying for the Volunteers in Action Scholarship must meet the criteria of the scholarship, which includes

Mr. William J. Davis, born in 1885 to William and Catharine Davis, was a dedicated farmer from Mount Carroll, the birthplace of Shimer College. By the time of his passing in 1967, Davis had expanded his original 125-acre farm to an impressive 439 acres through a combination of purchases and inheritances. In 1962, he signed his last will and testament, establishing a large estate that provided life income for three of his relatives. Upon their passing, the remainder of his estate was distributed to several organizations, including the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College. The

William Norris ’96 , chief investment officer, CIBC Bank USA in Chicago, led the event, titled “Financial Fitness: Managing Through a Complex Environment,” which was one of the first to be sponsored by the new Center for Financial Literacy at North Central College. Norris developed a talent for banking and investments in advance of his North Central undergraduate education. In the early 1980s, he moved to the Chicago area from Newcastle, Ind., to pursue a music career as a percussionist. Along the way, Norris accepted a job as a teller at Gary-Wheaton Bank in Wheaton, Ill. He started taking

Shien-Woo Kung ’26, Ph.D. , was born in China and was a 72nd generation descendent of Confucius. In the early 1920’s he came to North Central College on a missionary scholarship to study social science and subsequently earned a doctorate of commercial science from the New York University Graduate School of business. In 1930, Commercial Press, a Shanghai publishing company, sent Kung to the New York Times to learn about modern management so he could implement its business principles in China. Also during the 1930s, Kung was professor of economics at Shanghai College and professor and