Annual Derby Rose Gala raises over $30,000 for Student Scholarship Fund

By Ariel C. Emberton, student news writer, Office of University Communications

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Kelly Kirby II, left, and Steeley Shacklette, right, hosting WLCU TV/FM’s coverage of the Derby Rose Gala. (CU Photo by Emily Barth)

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (05/03/2019) (readMedia)-- "It is extremely safe to say that my life would look drastically different if I had not attended Campbellsville University," Daniel Bannister, a senior of Glasgow, Ky., said.

Bannister was one of the student guest speakers at Campbellsville University's 11th Annual Derby Rose Gala on April 26 during which over $30,000 was raised for the university's Student Scholarship Fund.

In 2009, Campbellsville University's Advancement Board decided the establishment of a Student Scholarship Fund should be one of their main focuses, hence the Derby Rose Gala.

Over the past 11 years, the Advancement Board has raised $355,000.

Each year, two students who have benefitted from the student scholarship are asked to speak and tell their stories. In December of his senior year of high school, Bannister was set to go to Western Kentucky University. He received a call from his admissions counselor at Campbellsville, Elijah Coffey, and was told he had received the Presidential Scholarship and his tuition was paid in full.

Bannister talked about his appreciation for the scholarship and how, due to scholarship donations, he was able to gain an education at a wonderful institution, that he otherwise wouldn't have received.

Evelyn Madill, a freshman of Wilmore, Ky., also spoke. "I picked CU because it has a faith-based community with the classes I wanted. It's a good distance from home and it has a beautiful campus. The biggest factor however was the financial aid."

Madill was offered many financial aid packages, but none were as good as the one offered to her by Campbellsville University. She is now able to graduate college with no student debt, work only on breaks and is able to focus on her studies as well as growing her faith.

"Thanks to the generous donors like you, my life is forever impacted and full of possibilities," she said.

Sara Curry, who last attended Campbellsville College in 1969, serves as chair of the Advancement Board. She said her favorite part of the gala is being able to see her old classmates and reminisce on their years in college. "It's a fun and serious time. We never lose sight of who we are, but we are willing to change with the times," she said.

Gwinn Hahn, a 1970 Campbellsville College graduates, serves as the Derby Rose Gala chair, and she said the inspiration behind the gala is they "wanted to do something that was student focused." Each year has been an improvement from the previous one.

Each year, the board recognizes a department or school, and this year Dr. John Hurtgen, dean of the School of Theology, accepted the award for the theology school. Hurtgen has been at Campbellsville for 29 years and received a certificate of recognition.

Serving as co-chair is Betty Hord, a 1968 graduate of Campbellsville College . She said people wanted to find a way to help with the scholarship fund at Campbellsville University. "We know the students may need extra money, and we want to help."

A close friend of Hord is Damon Rivers, the design artist of the gala. Each year Rivers finds different ways to transform Winters Dining Hall to match the original derby rose theme. He has worked on decorations for the White House, celebrity weddings and the annual Kentucky Derby. This was his third year designing the gala.

Dr. H. Keith Spears, vice president for communication and assistant to the president, was tremendously pleased with how the dining hall looked. "The Winters Dining Hall has transcended itself into a palace," he said. He gave credit to the planning committee and said "they supersede themselves every year."

A group of mass communication students under the direction of Jeannie Clark, general manager of WLCU-TV/FM and instructor and director of broadcast services; Stan McKinney, lead professor of mass communication and associate professor of journalism, and Joan C. McKinney, director of university communications, cover the gala. This year Steeley Shacklette, a senior of Elizabethtown, Ky., and Kelly Kirby, a senior of Charlottesville, Va., hosted the event on WLCU-TV.

Shacklette said covering the event was "a little terrifying but a great experience." Kirby also said it was an honor and a great experience. "It's great to be a part of something that impacts so many students and families," he said.

Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University, attended the event and was also pleased. He was interviewed and said, "I love the fact that mass communication students are provided with a real work opportunity." During the event, Carter gave a CU update and said, "CU is doing things differently because the world is changing."

He updated everyone about the new construction sites on campus, a new satellite center in California that is in the works and thanked the advancement board for hosting another successful Derby Rose Gala.

Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 12,000 students offering over 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville, all in Kentucky two in California at Lathrop, near San Francisco, and in Costa Mesa, and a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.