Purdue alumna, husband give gift to create scholarships, support College of Pharmacy

February 19, 2014  


Chaneys

James B. and JeanAnne "Jeannie" D. Chaney 
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A Purdue University alumna and her husband have given $1 million to create the Pacesetter Endowment for Pharmacy to establish scholarships and support future construction or renovation.

JeanAnne "Jeannie" D. Chaney, who earned her bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical sciences from Purdue in 1961, and her husband, James B. Chaney, made the donation through the Chaney Family Foundation.

"This endowment will help pharmacy students achieve their academic and career goals through both direct financial support of scholarships and enhanced facilities," Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. "The Chaneys are longtime supporters of Purdue who have given generously through both service and gifts. Purdue's pharmacy program is one of the top in the nation, and patronage like that of the Chaneys makes possible programs and student support that are key to earning such distinction."

The Pacesetter Endowment for Pharmacy will provide scholarships for undergraduate or professional students enrolled in the College of Pharmacy. The college plans to award the first scholarship in 2015 and is developing its criteria. The endowment also will support construction of a new building for the college or the renovation and expansion of existing structures.

The Chaneys hope others will add to the Pacesetter Endowment or create their own endowment for the same purpose.

"It is important as you go through life to give forward," said Jeannie. "I know there have been many times when people went out of their way to help me get a great education at Purdue."

The dual focus of the Pacesetter Endowment helps the college achieve the important goals of both providing financial support to students and creating a facility that allows Purdue's pharmacy program to fulfill its potential, said Craig Svensson, dean of the College of Pharmacy.

"The top priorities of Purdue's pharmacy program are to maintain our world-class academic and research status, which is greatly influenced by the facilities in which learning and research take place, and support of our students,” he said. "Purdue has the distinction of having the lowest self-reported student debt among Big Ten pharmacy programs, and we intend to keep that distinction. The Pacesetter Endowment allows us to continue in our commitment to these priorities. It also captures the remarkable impact the Chaneys have had on Purdue's pharmacy program through their consistent generosity and tremendous support of students."

The Chaneys are recipients of the President's Council Pinnacle Award, the highest recognition for philanthropic contributions to Purdue. Scholarships established by the Chaneys include the JeanAnne D. & James B. Chaney Scholarship in Pharmacy, the JeanAnne Darr and James B. Chaney Education and Development Fund, the Jim and JeanAnne Chaney Pharmacy Student Support Endowment, and the James Russel Maier Memorial Scholarship. In addition they created a self-sustaining "pay-it-forward" scholarship program for pharmacy students in Kenya in which the students repay the scholarship after graduation in order to fund future scholarships.

Additional contributions to the college include the Chaney Faculty Scholar Award, the highest research award given to faculty in the college, gifts to enhance technology for the distance-learning classes and renovate the Pharmacy Practice Laboratory, and a conference room. The Chaneys also were matching gift donors for the 2013 Senior Class Gift Challenge, which was used to install on the first floor of the Heine Pharmacy Building a graphic timeline outlining major events that have shaped the college. 

Jeannie also has served as chair of the President's Council, a member of the steering committee of Pharmacy Women for Purdue and as a member of the Pharmacy Alumni Board.

Jim Chaney is president of the Cleveland Syrup Co., which provides sweeteners to food manufacturing companies. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Denison University.

Writer: Elizabeth K. Gardner, 765-494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu 

Sources: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu

Craig Svensson, 765-494-1368, svensson@purdue.edu

John Dinkens, 765-494-0501, jadinkens@prf.org

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