News and Progress

MU faculty, staff and retirees return part of their paychecks through "It's My Mizzou: The Campus Campaign"

Faculty and staff are making a difference in MU's comprehensive campaign

May 12, 2005

Charity begins at home for William Fales, professor of veterinary pathobiology. Fales, a clinical microbiologist at MU's Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, supports the laboratory's statewide mission through his private gifts. Rob Hill photo

William Fales lives out the creed that charity begins at home. For the past 10 years, he has donated a portion of his paycheck to the College of Veterinary Medicine's Diagnostic Laboratory through the Jefferson Club.

Fales, a professor of veterinary pathobiology, is the section leader of the laboratory's bacteriology and mycology unit, and he serves the facility and the college as a clinical microbiologist. The laboratory fulfills the mission of a land-grant university, he says, as the faculty members teach professional students, conduct research and provide professional diagnostic service and consultation to veterinarians throughout Missouri.

The laboratory is fully integrated into the teaching program of the college and is the only facility in the state accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

When asked why he gives back a portion of his pay, Fales says, “Live by example.” The laboratory, originally led by L.G. Morehouse, L.D. Kintner, S.L. Nelson, D.A. Schmidt, R.F. Solorzano, J.E. Wagner and E. L. McCune, formed a core for veterinary diagnostic medicine from which “the citizens of Missouri have benefited greatly through the control of disease in livestock and poultry operations and the rendering of assistance to companion animal owners,” says Fales, who has been at Mizzou for 31 years. “Should a bio terrorism attack occur, the laboratory will be called upon for assistance as well. Gifts to the operation can ensure the present and the future, and the students are the future, and I believe in them.”

In past years, the University's share of the state's budget has dwindled. Today, state appropriations provide only one-fifth of Mizzou's total budget, and student fees contribute about 15 percent. Private gifts provide additional resources to help MU continue its tradition of excellence in teaching, research and service.

Like Fales, hundreds of faculty, staff and retirees, who in a variety of ways and for various reasons, are supporting MU's scholarships, facilities and other programs through It's My Mizzou: The Campus Campaign. This campus drive is part MU's overall historic $600 million comprehensive campaign, For All We Call Mizzou, and is focused more on participation than the amount of a donation.

All gifts to the campaign, regardless of size, have an impact and help the University achieve its long-term goal of creating a culture of giving on campus. “We are encouraging faculty and staff to identify the programs or areas that are important to them and support them with a contribution, no matter how large or small,” says Terri Gray, director of development for the campus campaign. She says donors may choose what to support, how much to contribute and how to make their gifts, whether by check, credit card, as a pledge or through payroll deduction. No administrative costs are deducted from the gift, so they can be sure that 100 percent of every dollar they contribute will support the area of their choice. “Campus support makes a strong statement to others that people working here day in and day out value the University not only as an employer,” Gray says, “but also as an important asset to the community and the state.”

Fales has been a leader in the campaign since it was announced in 2003, working to garner support not only for his own department but, he says, for the general improvement of the college, which is well-known as one of Missouri's greatest resources. Every gift in any amount can “help improve the quality of education,” he says.