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MU Journalism school recieves $10M donation

When the original administration building of the university burned in 1892 the columns were left standing. They stand today on Francis Quadrangle and are an iconic image of the university's Columbia campus.
Jay Buffington
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Wikimedia Commons
When the original administration building of the university burned in 1892 the columns were left standing. They stand today on Francis Quadrangle and are an iconic image of the university's Columbia campus.

MU’s journalism school gave Donald W. Reynolds a scholarship worth $22 a month. Nearly 90 years later, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation gave MU’s journalism school $10 million on Friday morning.

“I think that 22-dollar-a-month scholarship was a good investment,” said Steve Anderson, the foundation’s president. 

The fund will immediately match third party gifts of $200,000 for 50 $400,000 journalism fellowships.

Dean of the MU journalism school Dean Mills said the funds will be used in the next several years.

“So the foundation has in effect allowed us to double its gift with the help of other friends to $20 million dollars,” he said. “And we’ll be able to phase-in the fellowships in the next two years.”

In addition, the journalism school’s dean will have more flexibility to hire new professors, said Randy Picht. He is the Executive Director of the Reynolds Journalism Institute, which launched with a $31 million grant from the Reynolds foundation.  

“Money will be devoted to giving professors and associate professors raises so that will make us more competitive with other journalism schools,” he said. “It will also reward professors who’ve been doing great, great work so that’s really good.”

The foundation became MU’s first $100 million donor. The donation is also the foundation’s last gift, said president Steve Anderson.

“From a symbolic standpoint, it’s important that Mr. Reynolds started at the university ­– and his foundation will end at the university,” said Anderson.

Reynolds’ foundation also funded the Reynolds Alumni Center in 1992.  

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