Coffman-Crothers endowment will focus on complex trauma training

By Jeff Wilson

When Dr. Marti Crothers decided to see a therapist in the 1980s, she had no idea the impact it would have on her life.

Living in Southern Illinois and working as a counselor, it was difficult to find someone she didn’t already know. That’s why she chose someone new to the area, Dr. Janet Coffman.

Now, decades later, Dr. Crothers has made a gift of more than $1 million to honor Dr. Coffman and the treatment she provided. Her planned gift will establish the Coffman-Crothers Training Institute for Trauma and Psychological Health Endowment Fund.

“This training institute is in honor of Dr. Coffman. It is in recognition of her commitment and dedication to the treatment of victims, including myself, of complex trauma,” Dr. Crothers said. “Her skill, care, and compassion gave me the courage to become a survivor and to live a worthwhile life. This institute reflects my gratitude to her. It is dedicated to Dr. Coffman for all the lives she touched and saved.”

The institute will be in the SIU Clinical Center and will train students, faculty, and staff in psychology and counseling and community professionals in intensive treatment methods to assist clients suffering from complex trauma and dissociation. Complex trauma describes children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events and the long-term effects of these events, usually tied to abuse or profound neglect.

Dr. Coffman is the retired director of the Counseling and Psychological Services at SIU. Dr. Crothers is the former assistant coordinator of Literacy Connection at John A. Logan College. She was also a senior lecturer in counselor education and supervision.

Dr. Crothers originally came to Southern Illinois after growing up in Wisconsin and Kentucky. As a lover of the outdoors and an avid fox hunter, the natural beauty and horse-riding opportunities appealed to her. Coming to SIU in 1969, she studied recreation and worked under Dr. Bill Freeberg, one of the co-founders of the Special Olympics. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1973 and a master’s in educational psychology in 1978. Later, she returned to SIU to earn her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision in 1998.

“Dr. Coffman showed me that I had something to offer,” she said. “Many of the things I learned from her, especially as it pertains to self-care, I was able to pass on to my students.”

By establishing the Coffman Crothers Endowment, Dr. Crothers will train professionals to provide comprehensive treatment of people who are dealing with complex trauma as adults. She will be actively involved with the training institute for as long as possible, especially in the initial stages.

“There are adults out there everywhere in need of assistance,” she said. “I wish I had $10 million to give. I want this to be something the whole region can access.”

To support this or similar causes at SIU, visit siuf.org.

By Jeff Wilson

Growing up in the small Randolph County town of Walsh, SIU was the only reasonable college option for Ron Smith.

“It was where you could get the most bang for your buck,” he said. “SIU was so good to me and changed my life and made it better than it would have been.”

Since graduating in 1964 with a degree in marketing and a master’s in business administration in 1966, Smith has stayed engaged with his alma mater, including donating close to $170,000 over the last 20 years. Now, he’s taken his support a step further, making a gift of stock worth $500,000 to endow the Ronald L. Smith Endowed Chair in Marketing at the College of Business and Analytics.

Endowed chairs help attract and retain high-level faculty members by making the position more attractive and keeping salaries competitive with other institutions.

“I’m doing this to help the students of SIU,” Smith said. “I want to make the program stronger and provide better opportunities and better training for the students. We want to attract big names and incentivize them to stay.”

Before making his major gift to endow the chair in COBA, much of Smith’s philanthropy has been directed toward Saluki Athletics. Despite living in California, he has maintained season tickets to Saluki Football games and supported the Blackout Cancer fundraiser.

Smith has fond memories of his time at SIU, noting that he attended the university during the Delyte Morris era and the time of College of Business Dean Henry J. Rhen, for which the COBA building is named. Smith was also classmates with another of SIU’s most prolific benefactors, F. Lynn McPheeters.

“Dr. Morris was wonderful to listen to, and I was lucky to be there during his era,” Smith said. “The university had lots of programs that were geared toward students with limited financial resources. I was fortunate enough to make good enough grades that my professors thought I was a good candidate for graduate school.”

After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps and spent 30 months in Colombia. He worked with farmers and fishermen, teaching them how to make the most of their assets. He credits his education from SIU with giving him the expertise to share with those people and give them a vested interest in the business side of their industry.

Smith, a first-generation student whose niece now attends SIU as a fourth-generation student, said his continued support of the university shows the impact alumni can have even when they’re not able to get to campus as often as they may like.

“Is there a way you can help build up the university?” Smith said. “Even if you’re in California, like me, you can help folks in Southern Illinois.”

For more information about supporting the university, visit siuf.org.

Everyone can make an impact on Wednesday, Feb. 28

CARBONDALE – The 8th annual SIU Day of Giving is Wednesday, Feb. 28, and expectations are higher than ever.

Raising more than $14 million in its first seven years, the SIU Foundation is asking everyone to donate online at siuday.siu.edu. Every gift makes a difference, no matter the size.

“Each year, the SIU Day of Giving highlights the power of philanthropy and community engagement,” said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and SIU Foundation CEO. “We ask our alumni and friends to show their Saluki spirit, and Saluki Nation never disappoints.”

Each year, the SIU community comes together for a 24-hour online Day of Giving. Supporters are encouraged to visit siuday.siu.edu on Wednesday, Feb. 28, and make a gift of any size. Donations can be directed to any college, unit, program, or initiative.

Last year, more than $4 million was raised through more than 3,700 individual donations. Donors can choose to be honored on the Donor Wall, give in honor of another, or give anonymously. All gifts are made securely and are tax-deductible.

Gifts can also be made through Venmo by searching for “@SIU-Foundation” under the Charities tab and typing “Day of Giving” in the message. Donors should also add the area of campus they want to support.

Day of Giving broadcast

The SIU Day of Giving will feature every college and unit on campus during its live broadcast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the WSIU-TV studio. Streamed on the SIU Alumni Association’s Facebook page and hosted by Kupec, there will be live interviews with Chancellor Austin Lane and other campus leaders and live Day of Giving updates.

“The broadcast is one of the most unique parts of the SIU Day of Giving,” Kupec said. “We engage with our campus leaders, showcase every area of our great university, and watch along as the totals rise. It’s an exciting, inspiring day.”

During the broadcast, viewers will learn about the exciting things happening each day at SIU and how they can best support their favorite area of campus.

Getting involved

Other than making a gift and watching the broadcast, there are other ways for alumni and donors to support the Day of Giving.

Simply by using #SIUDay on social media and sharing posts from the SIU Foundation and other units on campus is a great way to show support. It’s not too late to become an SIU Day of Giving advocate by signing up at siuday.siu.edu. Advocates get special Day of Giving updates and can share their own Day of Giving messages with others.

By Jeff Wilson

When the 2023 Saluki Takeover Tour visited Naples, Florida, Chuck Lounsbury was excited to engage with representatives from his alma mater.

“SIU has held a few functions in Naples, and it’s given me the chance to reconnect,” he said. “A school’s reputation is important to the graduate, and you should reinvest in the school’s mission.”

A graduate of the College of Business and Analytics, he was particularly interested in the expansion of the supply chain management program. So much so, that he decided to make a $500,000 donation to establish the Charles and Barbara Lounsbury Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will benefit students in the program.

“This will allow students to focus on what companies need and want out of their logistics and distribution employees,” he said. “I don’t think that’s happening at a lot of schools today. Hopefully, these funds make a difference in students’ lives and the program itself.”

Lounsbury’s connection to SIU dates to the university’s earliest day. His great-grandmother attended Southern Illinois Normal College, which trained teachers. His father and brother also attended SIU.

“I lived in Chicago, but my grandmother was from West Frankfort. I had a soft spot in my heart for SIU,” he said.

Heavily involved in campus life, Lounsbury was a member of Alpha Kappa Psi and helped found the American Marketing Association at SIU. He was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society in business and after graduation was elected to the COBA Hall of Fame. After graduating from SIU in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island.

“I gave serious thought to working in academia and taught at Murray State for four years,” Lounsbury said. “I had no business experience, so I thought it would be good to get some real-world experience to become a better teacher.”

That decision led to an illustrious career in the business world, including leadership positions at Toro, Tenneco, Leaseway Transportation Corp., Skyway Freight Systems, and ended with his retirement in 2005 as senior vice president for supply chain solutions at Ryder Systems. He also continued to teach classes at Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Stanford, The Monterey Institute, and Florida Gulf Coast University.

“I always enjoyed the student contact,” Lounsbury said. “It was SIU that gave me my start, and I thought that my gift could make a significant impact there.”

His investment in the future of the university, college, and its students represents how Lounsbury feels about his time at SIU and the positive direction it’s going.

“SIU has a lot of outstanding graduates, who have had very successful careers, and that’s thanks largely to the education they got at SIU. It’s up there with any school. You get what you put into it,” he said. “I hope to influence others in my position to give back. I think it will help the next generation of students.”