On Friday, at the annual appreciation dinner for St. Mary’s University benefactors who give generously to support student scholarships, professorships, academic programs and facilities, attendees also paid tribute to President Tom Mengler, J.D., and his wife, Mona Mengler, by announcing two fundraising initiatives: the renaming of Conference Room A in the University Center, and the creation and naming of the President’s Ambassadors Fund.
Tom Mengler is retiring from the presidency on May 31, 2024. Chancellors and Chairs of the Board during Mengler’s presidency led the tribute by thanking them for their friendship, their vision and their success.
“These fundraising initiatives were made possible by donors to recognize Tom and Mona and the legacy they leave St. Mary’s,” said Lynda Ellis (B.A.S. ’81), Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The Tom and Mona Mengler Conference Room
Underway is renaming and enhancing the space that has served to gather our community and live our mission, Conference Room A in the University Center. Speakers from around the globe have spent time in this space sharing their knowledge about serving the common good, understanding the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, studying The Saint John’s Bible, and addressing concerns about peace and social justice. It is where we come together to greet new students and their parents, recognize our heritage, conduct meetings and party in the spirit of Fiesta. It is the most significant gathering space on campus, now named — The Tom and Mona Mengler Conference Room.
The Tom and Mona Mengler President’s Ambassadors Fund
For more than 40 years, the St. Mary’s President’s Ambassadors have been an integral part of the University. Tom and Mona Mengler have embraced these students, teaching them what it means to be welcoming and caring servant leaders by inviting them into their home as one does with family to share meals, pray and have fun together. To ensure that St. Mary’s continues the President’s Ambassadors Program and its legacy of supporting and attracting the best students to represent and promote the University, a new endowment has been established and named — The Tom and Mona Mengler President’s Ambassadors Fund.
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