By Jeff Wilson

When Reggie Townsend and his brothers in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. – Gamma Upsilon Chapter wanted to establish a scholarship, they found exactly what they were looking for at the SIU Foundation.

“We felt that it was important to give back to an institution that had given to us,” Townsend, a 1992 graduate of the College of Technical Careers, said. “The Foundation made it simple. I thought ‘This is awesome, and oh by the way, it happens to be at the institution where the people are that we want to help.’ All the planets aligned.”

Through that process, the fraternity established the Dream Achievers Scholarship, which supports Black men pursuing their bachelor’s degree at Southern.

“We wanted create avenues for young men who come from situations and conditions that we did,” Townsend said. “We wanted to give them opportunities that we had envisioned for ourselves and allow them to do something bigger and better than we did.”

Townsend is the vice president of data ethics for the SAS Institute, which develops analytics and artificial intelligence software. He leads responsible innovation efforts globally, ensuring that technologies like AI and quantum computing are safe and trustworthy. He is a true leader in the field.

“Leading a team around the globe, we make sure the software we create and products we develop don’t hurt people,” he said. “I am also on the National AI Advisory Committee and have advised the president and White House on matters of AI.”

The son of an SIU alumnus, Townsend first visited the university during a Black Alumni Reunion in the 1980s. He was later admitted to SIU during his junior year of high school.

“SIU was close enough to home to feel safe, but far enough away to feel independent,” he said. “It was at SIU that I learned I could lead. People saw in me things that I didn’t see myself. They pushed me toward opportunities that I didn’t see for myself, and I’m extremely appreciative of that.”

Through the Dream Achievers Scholarship, Townsend and the Kappas aim to help students in financial need who maybe aren’t at the very top of their class academically.

“Latent talent shouldn’t go untapped because students lack financial wherewithal,” he said. “Those students in the top 1 or 2 percent, they usually have access to scholarships. What about those students who are every bit as talented but just need an opportunity? Why shouldn’t we figure out ways to help those kinds of students?

“I have a measure of empathy, especially for those who might be deemed vulnerable in our society. To the degree that I can assist, I’m here to listen and do if there are those who have the courage enough to ask for help. I don’t see a better model for society than each of us helping one another.”

While acknowledging that not everyone has equal capacity to give financially, Townsend encourages others to consider the difference they can make in the lives of SIU students.

“Oftentimes, all of us, feel like we need more than we already have. The act of giving to someone else brings a measure of fulfillment that the next dollar can’t. I’m extremely fortunate to be in a position where the next couple of dollars are not going to materially change my life. I realize not everyone is in that position,” he said. “I am an extreme believer that those of us who have benefited from the opportunity afforded to us by education – particularly those of us from historically marginalized communities – have an obligation to extend that opportunity to others.”

To learn more about making a similar gift, visit siuf.org.

By Jeff Wilson

When a friend introduced Joe Dougherty to SIU senior A.J. Rice, they had no idea of the incredible partnership on the horizon.

Dougherty is executive vice president of MBS, Inc., one of the world’s largest sources of lighting and grip equipment in the entertainment world. Rice, a Du Quoin native, is majoring in cinema and theater and had recently completed an internship with Village Roadshow in Los Angeles.

Over the next few months, Rice would have an internship with MBS, and Dougherty would be finalizing a gift-in-kind of more than $350,000 in lighting and grip equipment to SIU’s School of Media Arts.

“After his internship with Village Roadshow, he had no plans for the following summer, so I offered him an internship,” Dougherty said. “The gift came up organically in our conversation.”

Rice noted the importance of such a partnership with a company like MBS.

“SIU is a school that thrives on hard work and self-determination. It needs to keep up technologically with the top schools in the nation,” he said. “MBS has everything, so I started figuring out what SIU needs and wants.”

Upon seeing the lists of needed equipment, Dougherty quickly saw that MBS was perfectly positioned to help.

“Primarily, we are providing lights and grip equipment that service broadcast television and theater,” he said. “I recognized that the things SIU needed are things we have in abundance. As some of these things become less moving in our industry, we make room for updated equipment, but the things we’re moving on from can make SIU’s inventory more robust.”

Beyond the impact of the gift, the partnership with MBS is likely to outlast any equipment the company can offer.

“The internship was mind-blowing. I tried to be like a sponge while I was there,” Rice said. “I would love to not be the only one experiencing these things.”

Dougherty said MBS plans to expand its partnership with SIU and hopes to continue improving the experience of SIU students.

“One of the biggest pleasures of my role in this industry is bringing good people together with great intentions and great skills,” he said. “There is the respected formal education in film and theater, and the internship complements that. The only limit is your ambition.”

By Jeff Wilson

David Lee’s parents, James and Li Ma, came to Southern Illinois University separately in the late-1950s in search of education and a path to a better life, and they found so much more.

“This is their American dream story. Their families had moved to Taiwan from China during World War II, fleeing the Communist regime,” he said. “They were the first of their families to come to the United States. SIU gave them the opportunity to do that.”

The role Southern played in their journey inspired David to make a $25,000 gift, endowing the James T. and Li Ma Lee Scholarship. The funds will support a scholarship for international students in the School of Journalism and/or the School of Education.

“My father came specifically for journalism. He was always intent on working at the New York Times, and that is what he did,” he said.

James came to SIU before Li Ma. He became president of the Chinese Student Association and was already well-established on campus by the time Li Ma arrived in September 1959.  As the eldest of eight children, Li Ma came to SIU on a full scholarship for graduate school.  After meeting and falling in love, the couple wed in Carbondale’s St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in 1961. When James graduated in 1962, they decided to leave for New York.

“My father knocked on the door of the New York Times asking for a job.  He took anything they offered, starting at the bottom as a copy boy and eventually becoming one of the newspaper’s first Asian editors,” David said. James’ career at the newspapers spanned more than 30 years.

Despite the success and happiness, one thing had been left unfinished in Carbondale. Li Ma was a single credit short of earning her graduate degree when the couple moved to pursue James’ dream of working at the New York Times.

“When my parents left SIU, my mom was already pregnant with me”, David said. “She had earned her way to SIU and was a tremendous student, always at the top of her class.”

After James passed away in 2012, David was inspired to reach out to SIU and see what could be done to recognize his mother’s academic achievement. He worked with Kelly Mason and Dr. Yueh-Ting Lee, who was the dean of the graduate school, to find a solution.

“I decided to bring closure to her,” David said. “After 60 years, SIU bestowed her an honorary degree. It is beyond words. She was shocked. To this day, that degree sits on her dining room table. It meant everything to her.”

With Li Ma turning 90 years old next year, David thought making a gift to support other international students would be a great way to honor his parents.

“What do you get someone who is 90? I thought this might be the greatest gift,” he said. “My mom and dad’s stories intertwined at SIU. Of all the places for them to meet, it was meant to be. SIU is forever in our hearts.”

To learn more about making a gift, visit siuf.org.