$1.2 million gift to Friends fine arts will continue Riney’s legacy
Friends University announced Wednesday that it had secured a $1.2 million donation to its Division of Fine Arts, courtesy of Tim and Gail Buchanan.
$1 million of that donation will be used to establish the Tim and Gail Buchanan Chair in Fine Arts, which will provide salary support for the chair of the division. The funds can also be used within the division at the discretion of the chair.
Cecil Riney, who served as chair for 45 years, retired in 2005 – and the school’s fine arts building was subsequently named after him. Riney returned to the university last fall to serve as interim chair until the university could fill the position permanently.
The remaining $200,000 will be used for scholarships over a two-year period – with $100,000 to be paid in 2017 and $100,000 in 2018.
According to a news release from the university, the gift was given in appreciation of Riney’s decades of service to Friends.
Meredith Gail Buchanan graduated from Friends University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in music education; Tim Buchanan is the CEO of Legend Senior Living.
Friends University has now raised more than $4.4 million in the past 18 months to support the annual fund, annual scholarships and facility projects, according to the release.
Matt Riedl: 316-268-6660, @RiedlMatt
This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "$1.2 million gift to Friends fine arts will continue Riney’s legacy."