Bob and Betty Tointon

Changing Lives by: supporting the recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty at K-State. Bob and Betty Tointon have established three Faculty of Distinction chairs through their gifts to the university.

K-State connection: Bob Tointon is a 1955 graduate of K-State’s College of Engineering. His wife Betty is also a 1955 graduate of K-State, with a degree from the College of Human Ecology.

Why they gave: As alumni, Bob and Betty remember the impact faculty had on their lives and the far-reaching effects their K-State experiences have had on their success.

“We really do respect the commitment that the faculty members make toward their students,” Betty said. “We wanted to let them know that they play an important role.”

Impact: Faculty of Distinction chairs provide the needed funds to support the university’s most important resource: outstanding faculty. Faculty members are crucial to a university’s ultimate success, but competition for professors and salary differences between public and private institutions make recruiting and keeping the best and brightest faculty a challenge for K-State. By providing private funds for endowed chairs, donors like the Tointons are helping K-State stay competitive and hire the best faculty.

What people are saying: “Faculty chairs allow us to acknowledge our most outstanding faculty members and provide supplemental compensation to them,” said Virginia Moxley, dean of the College of Human Ecology. “The ability to confer the distinction ‘Tointon Family Chair’ on an outstanding faculty member and to provide a salary supplement will be a tremendous asset to us as we seek to support our best teachers and scholars.”