Cold weather, propped door led to disaster in dorm

By: Michelle Anstett
Editor-in-chief

The recently-proposed academic complex received its first major push toward completion on Friday, Feb. 16, with the announcement of a $5.5 million commitment from 1972 Monmouth College alumnus and vice chairman of the board of trustees David Byrnes, along with his wife, Elizabeth.

yrnes, who co-founded FACTS management, a company which assists private citizens in the funding of education, majored in biology while at Monmouth College, and never took a business course. Nelnet Business Solutions and Nelnet Enrollment Solutions, both divisions of Nelnet, Inc., both of which Byrnes is the CEO, acquired FACTS management in 2005, making it the nation’s largest provider of tuition payment plans for both private K-12 and post-secondary markets. He co-founded FACTS management in 1986.

The Byrneses previously provided the monetary funding for the educational wing in the Huff Athletic Center and endowed two scholarships, and were reticent to make the announcement of their commitment public, as the decision to make the donation was a very private one.

“I was the first person in my family to attend college and my years at Monmouth were the seminal period in my life,” Byrnes stated in the press release sent out by the college. “As a Christian family, we view the gift as a way of also honoring God for his many blessings.”

As the oldest of five growing up in Springfield, Mass., Byrnes stated that his childhood was often fraught with difficulty. He was given the opportunity to come to Monmouth, enroll in a pre-med program and play sports. However, attending the small liberal arts school was not as easy as Byrnes had originally thought.

He began to work long hours at the Wells Pet Foods plant, performing analytical work in the laboratory. His work continued throughout the summer months as well. Despite his efforts, family financial circumstances required him to return home in his sophomore year. Biology professor Milton Bowman made special arrangements for Byrnes to continue his studies and eventually return to Monmouth College.

Mauri Ditzler, president of Monmouth College, said Byrnes’ experience is not unique. He stated that many trustees experienced difficulties during their time at Monmouth, and the college made significant efforts to help them continue their education. “Some of these people will have these wonderful memories of what the college has done for them,” Ditzler said, and want to ensure the same opportunities for future generations.

The Byrneses’ gift will go into what is called the “unrestricted physical plant fund,” Ditzler said, which means the college will put most of the donations to be put toward the construction of the complex in this sort of fund, but no one will be able to tell whose dollars are going to what specific project. This commitment was made in order that it would encourage others to donate toward the construction project. When added to a previous $1 million donation from the Mellinger Foundation, the total thus far is $6.5 million, but the project is estimated to cost $40 million.

“We need some more,” Ditzler stated, adding that the Byrneses’ generous contribution is just the beginning of what is predicted to be a long series of generous gifts from alumni and friends of Monmouth College.

Ditzler continued, saying he is always “struck by… how much faith they [donors who give large gifts] have in the college.” “The Byrneses [and other donors] will never live in the building; the faculty will,” he said, and the donations of large amounts of money show a great deal of trust in the architects and members of the Monmouth College community who will be designing the actual logistics of the complex.

Byrnes, along with the rest of the trustees, will have a say in the “big picture” decisions involved in the construction of the complex. The trustees board has already decided on the general location of the building – between the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium and the Admission building – but they have not made decisions as to where the building will sit on the lot.

Regardless of where the building is located and what it looks like, its construction will only be made possible by the generous donations from those who believe in the future of Monmouth College, such as David and Elizabeth Byrnes.