News Release

Nov. 1, 2006


Boise Couple Presents Checks Totaling More than $500,000 to Benefit Academics and Athletics at Boise State

Boise State University President Bob Kustra, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and several other Boise State officials today accepted checks totaling more than $500,000 from Duane and Lori Stueckle of Boise to benefit programs in both academics and athletics at the university.

The checks include $280,000 toward an endowed chair in the BSU Department of Biology; a $200,000 donation for the Caven-Williams Sports Complex; and $25,000 to help renovate and expand the tennis courts at Julia Davis Park as part of a cooperative effort between Boise State and the city of Boise. Oversized replicas of the checks were presented during a ceremony at the Bronco Athletic Association luncheon.

The half-million dollars paid today is part of the approximately $3 million in major gifts the Stueckles are donating to Boise State. The Stueckles’ total commitment includes between $1.5 and $2.3 million for an endowed chair in biology, $750,000 for construction of the Caven-Williams Sports Complex, and $25,000 to help renovate and expand the tennis courts at Julia Davis Park.

Duane Stueckle, a longtime Boise businessman, said he and his wife, Lori, have sought to support Boise State programs in academics and athletics that would help provide momentum for the university and also capitalize on the excellence the university has already achieved.

“We like to help at the start of things. Providing funds for an endowed chair in biology and for much-needed infrastructure for athletic programs is exactly the kind of thing we like to do,” Stueckle said.

Bieter accepted the check from the Stueckles on behalf of the city of Boise for the tennis court expansion. Kustra, accompanied by BSU biology professor Julia Oxford, accepted the check for the endowed chair in biology. Oxford holds the Dean’s Distinguished Professorship in Biology that was also established by the Stueckles. The professorship will evolve into the endowed chair in biology as it becomes fully funded.

Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier accepted the $200,000 check for construction of the new Caven-Williams Sports Complex. The $9.5 million indoor training facility was completed in February and is considered one of the most impressive facilities of its kind in the nation.

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Contact: Jennifer Neil, BSU Foundation, (208) 426-2927, jenniferneil1@boisestate.edu 
Media Contact: Frank Zang, University Communications, (208) 426-5391, frankzang@boisestate.edu

Where you see blue, we see the largest institution of higher education in Idaho. For the ninth time in the last 10 years, Boise State University has set an all-time state record with a fall enrollment of 18,876 students. Since 1996, Boise State’s student population has increased 25 percent.
 

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Last reviewed on Wednesday, January 03, 2007