Note: This message was originally sent on April 2, 2019
Good morning,
We were honored to host the Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation Board on campus last week. The Board chose Gonzaga University as the location for their first ever in-person meeting. During their visit, board members were able to meet with current and past scholarship recipients who shared their love for Gonzaga, short and long term plans and gratitude for the Foundation’s support. Students and board members alike were able to share how they were and continue to be impacted by Dauna’s legacy.
The Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation, a member of the Spires Society, has supported 334 Gonzaga students since 1995, with nearly half contributing back to GU after graduation. Here is Dauna’s story, enjoy…
Dauna Leigh Bauer: “The scholarship I received from the Foundation was a deciding factor in my attending Gonzaga and I am so blessed to be able to attend such an incredible university!” – Laura, Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation scholarship recipient, 2018-19
Dauna Leigh Bauer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Education in 1966. After three years teaching second-grade children, Dauna began a career with the United States government. During the course of her 20-year career in government service, Dauna received numerous awards for excellence and achievement. Her last position with the federal government was as the Director of Administration for the Comptroller of the Currency for the Midwestern region of the United States. In that position, she was responsible for the supervision and training of over 400 employees in seven different states.
Shortly before her untimely death at age 47, she established the Dauna Leigh Bauer Foundation. The Foundation provides scholarships to students who in all likelihood would be unable to attend without the scholarship or who have very limited means of financially supporting their education. Dauna herself had limited financial means while attending GU. She had a keen sense of responsibility and a deep appreciation of the importance of education. She wished that scholarships awarded in her name go to students who share her sense of responsibility and appreciate the benefit of receiving a college education. Therefore, she wished that each recipient would consider repaying the amount of the scholarship to the University after the applicant has been established in his or her career or occupation. She did not intend this to be a legal obligation. However, she hoped that students who receive the benefit of scholarship assistance would be so appreciative that they would likewise want to offer a similar benefit to the next generation of students, which seamlessly integrates into Gonzaga’s mission of being persons for others.