Nat Glover Jr., retired President of Edward Waters College, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, President Tim Cost
and philanthropist Chuck Wodehouse announce Public Policy Minority Fellowship on February 15, 2018.
In addition to providing leadership and
investing his time and talent, Chuck also
stood in the gap as a major financial
supporter. Projects made possible because
of commitments from the Wodehouse family
and other donors include everything from fine
arts programming to floating classrooms.
"It's our feeling that JU is a great investment.
I mean, if the University was a product in
a business deal, I would invest in it hands
down.” He said that, simply by looking at the
facts—minimal risk and a terrific product—
you can understand why surrounding markets
cry out for it. “Every great city in the U.S. has
a great, private university anchoring it, and
Jacksonville has JU.”
THE WHERE AND HOW OF
PHILANTHROPY
The logic behind knowing where and how
to support? They describe it as an organic
process.
FEATURES
"We see a need and know that we can do
something about it," Cami said. She uses
lacrosse as an example. They remember
Paul and Mindy McCord as early champions
of Lacrosse at JU. This struck home for the
Wodehouses. "I wasn't a stellar lacrosse
player in high school, but I knew the power
of the game and how popular it had become,"
Chuck said.
Chuck gives high praise to Coaches Mindy
McCord and John Galloway, and agrees that
Jacksonville University indeed has the potential
to become the Lacrosse Capital of the South.
"It's part of the secret sauce at JU. Our
athletes are wonderful, have leadership
skills, speak well in public, maintain high
GPAs. These are the kind of graduates we
seek," Chuck said.
Jacksonville University Athletics has already
broken ground on the Jacksonville Lacrosse
Center (JLC), having reached the fundraising
goal ahead of schedule. Completion
is scheduled for this November with a
dedication ceremony on the spring calendar.
Senior Vice President and Athletic Director
Alex Ricker-Gilbert said, “It is so rewarding
to see all of the hard work coming to
fruition. We identified this as a priority when
I first took on this role, and thanks to the
overwhelming generosity from the JU Family,
we were ecstatic about putting shovels in the
ground this summer.”
The 8,600 sq. ft. building will serve as the
new home for both the men’s and women’s
lacrosse programs and is located adjacent to
the grandstand on the north end of D.B. Milne
Field. The $1.875 million facility will include
everything from locker rooms, media areas,
and lounges to coaches offices, training
areas, and the outdoor gathering space that
has been dubbed The Wodehouse Walk.