06/05/07 — Former educators establish agricultural education scholarship (Special interest: Phillips County and Wichita)
Robert and Virginia Schneider, Fairfield Glade, Tenn., have made a $130,000 commitment to the Kansas State University Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Schneider Agricultural Education Scholarship.
This scholarship will provide financial assistance to a sophomore, junior or senior majoring in agricultural education, with a minimum 3.0 grade point average at K-State.
Robert Schneider is a native of Phillips County, Kan. He graduated in 1954 from K-State with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. Schneider taught vocational agriculture in McDonald and Ellis, Kan., for a total of 11 years. He completed a master’s degree in agricultural education at K-State in 1965. Schneider received his doctoral degree in vocational education from Michigan State University, East Lansing, in 1969.
Virginia (Puckett) Schneider is a native of Wichita, Kan. She attended K-State in 1954 and studied home economics and education. She graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1969. She earned her master’s degree at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, in 1974, and her educational specialist certification at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, in 1979.
The Schneiders were both educators before their retirements in 1995. They lived in Nigeria and worked with the KSU-AID team from 1965 to 1967 and 1970 to 1972. Robert was an associate professor and department head of the agricultural engineering section at Ahmadu Bello University, while Virginia taught at the staff school. Before retiring, Robert taught agricultural mechanization for nearly 20 years at Western Kentucky and Virginia taught elementary education for 22 years as a remedial reading and math specialist.
The Schneiders are members of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.
“My wife and I feel very strongly that education is the way up and out of poverty and have supported education programs for many years,” Robert Schneider said. “We feel that returning something to K-State is one method of doing this while showing our appreciation for the opportunities that K-State has provided us. One cannot genetically pass on an education, but we can assist individuals in achieving an education. Education, and the appreciation of the value of education, is something that tends to follow on from one generation to another. Thus, if we can assist one person, the impact of this may be felt for generation after generation.”
“With our tuition increases students need additional support, and these gifts will help them meet those needs,” said Fred Cholick, dean of the College of Agriculture. “This gift is particularly important because it helps students in agricultural education, in which we currently have a shortage.”
The Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.