MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Announces Gift to Establish Brazeale Family Scholars Program

Gift will provide 30 annual scholarships when fully endowed

September 7th, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. – At an event on the University of Missouri campus on Wednesday, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources announced an estate gift to establish the Brazeale Family Scholars program. Created through the generosity of alumnus Chuck Brazeale and his wife, Ina Rae, the Charles R. and Ina Rae Brazeale Scholarship Fund initially will cover 25 percent of tuition costs for eight Missouri residents per year. When fully endowed, the fund will provide approximately 30 annual scholarships.

“We strongly believe in higher education,” the Brazeales said in a statement. “We also believe that CAFNR has world-class faculty and staff who are student-focused and oriented on preparing its graduates for careers in today’s ever-changing global economy. Providing scholarship assistance is our way of helping individuals attend the University of Missouri who may not otherwise be able to do so.”

Last year, more than 15,000 MU students received grant or scholarship support, including approximately 3,000 students who received private scholarships. The Brazeale Scholarship Fund targets high-achieving Missouri residents with an emphasis on students from Monroe County and its surrounding counties. The fund also gives preference to students with demonstrated leadership capacities and a high motivation for public service.

“As a first-generation college student myself, I know how important access and affordability are for current and prospective Mizzou students,” said MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright. “The Brazeales’ gift is a remarkable investment in our students’ future, the future of Mizzou and the future of the state of Missouri.”

“Our students represent the future leadership of agriculture, the most important industry in Missouri,” said Christopher Daubert, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. “The Brazeales are great proponents of the CAFNR student experience, and we cannot thank them enough for their remarkable generosity.”

Charles Brazeale is a 1957 graduate of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. While pursuing a degree in Agricultural Economics, Brazeale participated in ROTC, which led to a 20-year career in the military and at the Pentagon. After his military career, the Brazeales returned to Monroe County, Missouri. Recently retired, the Brazeales operate a farm and serve on a variety of volunteer boards, including Charles Brazeale’s service as CAFNR’s Chair for the Mizzou: Our Time to Lead campaign.

With an overall fundraising goal of $1.3 billion, the Mizzou: Our Time to Lead comprehensive campaign will secure the University of Missouri’s status among the nation’s elite public universities by focusing on three priorities:

• Endowment Building MU’s endowment will allow the university to strengthen its ability to attract and retain stellar students and faculty.
• Signature centers and institutes These centers and institutes will be the engine of research growth that will enhance MU’s AAU status and add to the university’s distinctiveness.
• Campus renaissance Spurred by new and renovated facilities, Mizzou will become global leaders in education and research, which will help attract and retain students and faculty.