Evans family donates $1 million to Academic Success Center at Kansas State University
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
MANHATTAN — Ike and Letty Evans, Bluffton, South Carolina, are supporting the Academic Success Center in the College of Engineering at Kansas State University with a $1 million donation.
The center provides a variety of services dedicated to helping students achieve academic success on campus. With help from the Evans' gift, the Academic Success Center staff will provide professional advising for first-year and at-risk students. Students will have access to one-on-one mentoring sessions with advisors to give them the encouragement and help they need to succeed. Through this individualized approach, students will learn study habits, financial management skills and career development tips.
"Letty and I are pleased to make an inaugural gift to the College of Engineering Academic Success Center. We are very appreciative of our time at K-State and want current students to be able to experience the period of learning and personal growth we both did," said Ike Evans, adding his appreciation for the academic and development leadership within the college. "This gift, along with our sponsorship of an engineering chair, is our way of saying thank you for the support we received during our time at the university."
Ike Evans is a 1965 graduate of the College of Engineering at Kansas State University, and Letty Evans also attended Kansas State University. They are members of the Kansas State University Foundation's President's Club, a philanthropic leadership organization for friends and alumni of the university, and the Land Grant Legacy Society, which honors those who include a gift to the university in their estate plan.
Currently, Evans is executive chairman at Meritor, a Michigan-based global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. During his career, he has had executive positions at Union Pacific Railroad, Emerson Electric Co. and General Motors.
"We are so grateful that Ike and Letty Evans are helping empower the next generation of engineering excellence," said Darren Dawson, dean of the College of Engineering. "The new Academic Success Center is innovative and vital to becoming recognized as a Top 50 public research university by 2025."
Philanthropic contributions to Kansas State University are coordinated by the KSU Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.
