For immediate release: March 29, 2007 OU Honors $4 Million in New Commitments From Two Oklahoma City Foundations OKLAHOMA CITY – To benefit the University of Oklahoma’s journalism program on the Norman campus and cancer care programs at the OU Health Sciences Center, major new commitments from Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and Inasmuch Foundation were announced today by OU President David L. Boren at the March meeting of the OU Board of Regents. Boren announced a $2 million gift from Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to Phase II of Gaylord Hall, home to the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a $2 million gift from Inasmuch Foundation for patient care and family support programs being developed through the OU Cancer Institute. Both Oklahoma City foundations were established by the late Edith Kinney Gaylord. "These two generous gifts will truly help change the quality of life for thousands of Oklahomans, now and in the future," Boren said. "Whether its future journalists following in the footsteps of the late Edith Kinney Gaylord or cancer patients and their families who will benefit from new OU Cancer Institute programs, these new gifts will make a meaningful and lasting impact in our state." Boren noted that the $2 million gift from Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to Gaylord Hall brings the total amount committed by the two foundations to $11 million. The first $2 million grant was for the Edith Kinney Gaylord Library and Resource Center, a centerpiece of Phase I. The additional $9 million grant provides over half the funding necessary to complete construction of a 44,000-square-foot expansion. The expansion project also has received support of $2 million from the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, continuing its original $22 million commitment to Gaylord College. The gifts to Phase II enable an expansion project that includes a two-story, 1,716-square-foot sound stage which students may use as a broadcast studio, for single camera video work, or still photography sessions, a 180-seat theatre-style classroom, an innovative public relations and advertising suite, an open computer laboratory, and a small student commons area. The $2 million gift from Inasmuch Foundation to the OU Cancer Institute will fund: A comprehensive Family Services Program. A $1 million endowed chair, which is eligible for $1 million in matching funds from the State Regents for Higher Education endowment program, to focus in the area of Cancer Screening, Outreach and Education. Start-up funding for a Cancer Outreach Program, which will provide screening and education patient services, primarily in the areas of breast and cervical cancers. Boren noted that these most recent commitments bring total gifts and pledges to OU from Inasmuch Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to $16 million – $10 million from Inasmuch Foundation and $6 million from EEJF. "Through the vision of President Boren and the support of the OU Board of Regents, OU is experiencing a renaissance like no other in its 117-year history," said William J. Ross, Chairman of Inasmuch Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. "We are pleased to support the University through these two unique projects knowing full well the ripple effect each project will have on this State for generations." "Edith Kinney Gaylord, founder of the two foundations, was a major supporter of OU during her lifetime," said Robert J. Ross, President and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. "I know Edith would be pleased that her foundations continue her life-long commitment to OU and the citizens of Oklahoma." < back to press releases