Susan and Bob Tucker place a high value on education because of the experiences it allowed them in their careers with large companies. 感兴趣的, combined with their roles as owners of a family farming operation, inspired their recent gift to support 全国网赌正规平台’s 农业学习中心 project.

The Tuckers’ support of the 农业学习中心 makes them members of the 大学的自耕农协会, a group of public and private donors who have provided gifts of $25,000或更多的项目. 另外, the couple are contributors to The 1905 Society, a premier giving society that recognizes generous supporters who make annual unrestricted gifts to Northwest of $1,000或更多.

“We are just thrilled to have the opportunity to be a Homesteader and to be in on the ground floor of the Ag Learning Center and the rebuilding of the farm,苏珊说。, 他也 serves on the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors.

Northwest will celebrate the opening of the 农业学习中心 9点有剪彩仪式.m. 星期五，7月30日，在R.T. Wright Farm, located north of the Northwest campus at 22893 U.S. 玛丽维尔的71号高速公路. The event, which coincides with the conclusion of the University’s 永远绿色运动, will include a short program and tours of the facility.

11美元.4 million 农业学习中心, 这是莱特农场的一个关键新增项目, 是29,000-square-foot multipurpose facility that will enhance the 农业科学学院这是在博士的指导下. 杆巴尔.

“Rod took us on a tour and I could see his vision of what was going to happen at the farm, 这让全国网赌正规平台很兴奋,苏珊说. “This is what Northwest 密苏里州 State needs, 这就是密苏里需要的, so we thought it was a great opportunity.”

Susan was the third generation of the Gladstone family to attend Northwest – a legacy that began with her grandmother Grace Mayme Morgan Gladstone earning a teaching certificate from the Fifth District Normal School, as Northwest was called from its founding in 1905 until 1919. 她的父亲, 威廉·吉尔伯特·格莱斯顿, earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling at Northwest in 1968.

Susan earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1976 and a Master of Business Administration in 1977 from Northwest, where she also was a Franken Hall director and a member of the business club. She has served as a member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors since 2018.

“Susan is an active member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors, and her ties to this region and to agriculture made the 农业学习中心 a perfect fit for her and Bob’s philanthropic support,米齐·马尚特说, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the Northwest Foundation. “We are extremely grateful for the expertise Susan brings to the board as well as for her generosity.”

Susan says her love of math led her to the accounting field and the education she received at Northwest, particularly some rigorous computing classes, provided her with an edge as she began her professional career. She has held a variety of leadership positions in finance, real estate and human resources throughout her career, which included work at Payless ShoeSource’s corporate headquarters in 前eka, 堪萨斯, 1993年至2008年. 今天, Susan is a self-employed attorney and certified public accountant, specializing in agricultural tax practices, 在价值, 密苏里州.

但农业仍然是她的最爱. As owner of Gladstone Family Farms – an active farm with cattle, soybeans and corn that Susan’s ancestors established in 1848 – she runs the business side of the operation.

“People don’t realize there’s a lot of business to a farming operation,苏珊说, adding she has continued to enroll in courses offered by Northwest and other universities to learn about agriculture taxation and build additional finance knowledge.

这是一个原因, 她相信, the addition of the 农业学习中心 to Northwest’s programming is so important.

“Farming just can’t be learned trailing along on the tractor with somebody in this day and age,”她说。. “There’s so much with the seeds and the chemicals and the business side of it and the marketing, the grain and the livestock and the science around it. There's just so much that you can’t internship it. You need some classroom education if you're going to be profitable.”

For more information about the 永远绿色运动 and making a gift to support Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248或浏览 www.wp101ways.com/ForeverGreen/.