Vincennes University celebrates ‘historic’ gift
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The founder of an Indiana-based trucking company and his wife have donated $750,000 to Vincennes University to establish the school’s first faculty fund endowment.
The gift from Charles “Shorty” Whittington of Columbus, Indiana, and his wife, Ro, will bolster faculty recruitment efforts and foster agricultural innovation, the university said. The Whittington Endowed Faculty Fund will help support five positions with an initial focus in the College of Technology and in the College of Business and Public Service.
“My wife and I have a real desire to build up kids to get them where they need to be,” Shorty Whittington said in a news release. “Our objective is to invest in Vincennes University faculty and help them make things better.”
The donation represents one of the largest individual donor gifts to the university in recent years, the university said.
“Faculty are the lifeblood of what we do, working directly with our students to produce skills and experiences that lead to life-changing outcomes,” Provost Laura Treanor said in the news release. “This historic endowment underscores our unwavering dedication to academic excellence and innovation. I and Vincennes University are immensely grateful to Ro and Shorty Whittington for their visionary philanthropy, which will have a profound and lasting impact on our faculty, University community, and beyond.”
Shorty Whittington founded Grammer Industries, a bulk transporter of grain and dry fertilizer. Now called Grammer Logistics, the Columbus-based company transports ammonia, natural gas liquids and chemicals.