A FUTURE SO
BRIGHT
Wayland, was my best friend in elementary
school," said Cami. They formed a connection
that she calls serendipitous, one that persists
still today.
"One of the great things about working for a
company like CSX that's serious about serving
the communities in which it operates is that
its executives are encouraged to engage with
community organizations," said Chuck. "From
my bosses John Snow, Pete Carpenter, and
Michael Ward, I was given the opportunity to
serve in a meaningful way, and I was thrilled to
be involved with an organization as important
to Jacksonville as JU."
He and Cami credit the Davis, Stein, and
Shircliff families, all major JU donors, for
teaching them the value of philanthropy.
"Jacksonville is so lucky to have individuals
like these, and you can't help but be inspired
by the positive impact of their giving. We
share their view that philanthropy done well
is an investment with outsized returns."
In his early days as a trustee, he said there
was one fact about JU that always remained
true—the University's singular attention to
students. But he said there was clearly room
for improvement in other areas. "Back when
I was president of the University Council, we
completed a branding study that called JU a
hidden gem.” Chuck said the phrase always
bothered him because his vision and hope
for the University have always been much
larger. “There is no reason that JU shouldn't
be recognized as one of our country's great
private universities and we should all be
proud to identify with it as current alumni,
faculty, or in whatever capacity."
PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY WODEHOUSE
CONTRIBUTIONS:
JU FUND
PUBLIC POLICY MINORITY
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Pictured below:
Chuck and Cami
Wodehouse at the
2017 gathering for
the 1934 Club Giving
Society held at the
Davis Family Ranch.
DAVIS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DISCRETIONARY FUND
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S LACROSSE
DAVIS EXECUTIVE ADVISORY BOARD
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT
AND SCHOLARSHIPS
CHUCK AND CAMI WODEHOUSE
SCHOLARSHIPS
COMMUNITY OUTREACH FUND
MARINE SCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
FLOATING CLASSROOM
DAVIS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
ADOPT A CLASSROOM - TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCEMENT FUND
MEN’S GOLF
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Chuck served on the Board's 2012
presidential search committee knowing that
finding the right leadership was a necessary
first step to JU realizing its full potential. "A
few of us—Ron Autrey '01, John Harrison '67,
Fred Pruitt '69/'85, Jack Keigwin—agreed
that we needed to think outside the box and
find someone with a business background to
lead. That's when Tim put his hat in the ring."
Describing then-presidential candidate
Tim Cost as a business-minded powerhouse
among dozens of candidates from
academia, Chuck recalls hours of thoughtful
conversation and debate. He knew, as did
the entire Board, that choosing a university
president was essentially a choice about the
future trajectory of the institution. "We looked
at where his heart was, his skill sets, and his
unbelievable energy. Then we met Stephanie,
his secret weapon, and knew we couldn't
pass him up."
Continued on next page.
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