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Generous donors propelled giving to $201,475 supporting the Copeland Athletic Complex for the annual Giving Tuesday campaign.

For more than 30 years, Pioneer Stadium served as home to MNU football. Due to its age and condition the community said good-bye to that stadium in 2012. After celebrating the 40th anniversary of the football program at the site of the former stadium during Homecoming Weekend, a new dream began to surface — bringing all of our athletic programs back on campus.

Over the past year, God has been inviting MNU alumni and friends to dream more intensely. Fueled by a $2-million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation, the realization of a new stadium on campus is within reach. The stadium will be the crown jewel of MNU’s proposed $12-million athletic complex, which will be named after MNU’s favorite son and late Olathe mayor, Michael Copeland (’84).

“On MNU Giving Tuesday, donors voted yes for the Copeland Athletic Complex and kickstarted our efforts to secure the $2 million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation,” said Pete Brumbaugh, director of alumni engagement & annual giving.

The remainder of the amount needed to fund the complex must be raised by July 12, 2023 in order to receive the $2-million grant. Giving to the project is easy by accessing this link.

Dr. Abby Hodges

Vice President for Academic Affairs

PhD; Organic Chemistry, Yale University 
MS; Organic Chemistry, Yale University 
BS; Chemistry, Denison University

Dr. Hodges began her career in higher education at Azusa Pacific University as a chemistry professor from 2008 to 2014. She then moved to MNU where she taught and in 2018 was appointed Chair of the Department of Natural, Health, and Mathematical Sciences. From 2022-2023, before accepting the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Hodges was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Hodges’ career research has focused on protein folding and protein engineering, and she has mentored over twenty students in these research projects. She has also furthered the MNU first-year experience program and chaired the General Education committee for five years. Dr. Hodges was recognized as the MNU Faculty of the Year in 2021.

Dr. Hodges lives in Olathe with her husband Ryan and two boys.