Bright Futures Campaign

  1. Home
  2. Brightfutures

New Cunningham Center

Live Construction Progress

New Cunningham Center – 50,000 sq. ft. facility.

Cunningham Center Funding

Raised $20.0 Million Goal $20.0 Million

Groundbreaking Event

Cunningham Center

"Groundbreaking on the $20 million Cunningham Center was held Friday, August 28, 2020 on the campus mall at MNU. The new building, which is part of the Bright Futures Campaign for MNU, will house student services, the dining hall, Admissions and more. Plenty of space for community gatherings, meetings and socializing is planned. The building will replace the Campus Center, one of the university's first five original buildings.

The building is named for the late Dr. Paul G. and Dr. Connie Cunningham, whose ministry and vision has been part of MNU since before its inception.

The ceremony began with remarks from Dr. Jon North, vice president for university advancement, an invocation from Chairperson of the Board of Trustees Rev. Jim Bond and remarks from Craig Garrett, a senior student and president of Associated Student Government."

"This building will be a huge asset to the students," Garrett said. Adding that it will be a place to form friendships and make memories. He then thanked university leaders and the generous donors who helped make the vision of this building a reality for generations of students to come.

Campaign co-chairs Tim Buchanan and Dr. Dan Rexroth also spoke. President David Spittal expressed thanks for sacrificial fundraising support from many, to a crowd of about 200. Social distancing was employed at the event.

The ceremonial breaking of ground then began.

Groundbreaking Event for the Cunningham Center

The Dream Lives On

MidAmerica Nazarene University has a rich heritage built upon the strong faith and pioneer spirit of our founders. Thanks to God's gracious guidance and the contributions of committed faculty, staff, students, parents, churches and donors, MNU has grown from its five original buildings and 263 students on a former Kansas cornfield to become a beautiful, thriving campus with 21 colonial-style buildings, an enrollment of 1,870 students, and nearly 30,000 alumni.

Today, after nearly 50 years of growth and change, MNU continues to be driven by its distinctive vision that seeks to impact the world for Jesus Christ through servant leaders who are recognized for their excellence, integrity, and spiritual vitality. Amid the relentless pace of change in our society, MNU is a sanctuary for something of enduring value: scholarly inquiry that is rigorous and centered on the growth of the individual student through the integration of Christian faith and learning.

We are grateful for the integrity of the vision that set MidAmerica Nazarene University in motion, for the strategic choices that have brought us to this moment in our history, and for the evolving vision that shapes our future.

MNU Groundbreaking Images on the Flickr website

Flickr Photo Album

Captial Projects Campaign

  • Construct the Cunningham Center

    In order to foster a vibrant living and learning community, we must build stronger connections across our campus by providing a place for all our students to interact together and with faculty.

    We plan to replace the existing Campus Center and build a brand new, state-of-the-art, multi-use space. The Cunningham Center will also allow us to reimagine the space that houses the Enrollment Development, Student Financial Aid Services, Student Development and the campus store. It will provide a larger and more efficient dining area, an expanded kitchen and new meeting spaces. We want to give visitors an incredible first impression of MNU while better serving our students, faculty and staff.

  • Construct a New Athletic Complex & Stadium

    Pioneer athletics have increased MNU's visibility and reputation. Now, we're taking the next step toward excellence by planning a first-rate athletic complex that will meet the needs of our existing program while allowing us to serve more student-athletes and develop new athletic programs.

    A 2,000 seat stadium will give us the opportunity to reconnect the Pioneers with their home crowd. A new field will bring a home-field advantage to many of our teams. A new track will provide practice and competition space for the track-and-field and cross-country teams.

Capital Project Progress

By building new facilities, we enhance our capacity to serve more students in the future. Through reinvestment in existing facilities, we ensure that our campus is more functional, welcoming and environmentally responsible.

Give to the Campaign

Bright Futures - Capital Projects from MidAmerica Nazarene University on Vimeo.

Capital Project Progress

Raised $22.2 Million Goal $28.1 Million

Academic Projects Campaign

  • Center for Academic & Professional Success

    We are dedicated to creating new and expanding existing services that benefit students and faculty alike. Our investment in the area of Academic and Professional Success will nurture MNU's culture of effective teaching and transformative student learning.

  • Expansion of Student & Academic Support

    We have made significant progress in building a comprehensive student support team to address the needs of at-risk and diverted learners in our student-focused environment. We want to dedicate additional resources towards increasing course completion and persistence to graduation. This requires new curriculum for developmental courses, expansion of our peer tutoring program and additional student counseling and health services.

  • Creation of Career Services Center

    In order to effectively prepare students for their future, an office of Career & Life Calling has been created to focus on services for undergraduate students. Career counseling, career preparation, internship opportunities and professional networking are integral parts of the this office.

  • Faculty Development

    MNU is blessed with exceptional educators who inspire students' minds and hearts and who animate our classrooms and labs all across campus. We are committed to increasing qualified and motivated faculty, building even stronger academic programs and reimagining ways to teach in a liberal arts setting.

    A focus on faculty development will expand professional development activities. Stipends will be made available for faculty in order to integrate new technology and cutting-edge practices into their classrooms.

  • Development of New Academic Programs

    As the future changes, new areas of technology are developed. New areas of study emerge. New employment opportunities arise.

    To better meet the needs of the future, the university must continue to develop new undergraduate and graduate degree programs. New academic programs will be evaluated to ensure they relate to the demands of today's marketplace and future workforce projections. We commit to seeking out talented scholars from within these fields to develop powerful curriculum.

Academic Programs Progress

We desire to grow our investment in faculty, top-quality academic programs and relevant, real-world tools. Through our active role and your continued investment into the lives of our students and faculty, the future looks bright.

Bright Futures - Academic Programs from MidAmerica Nazarene University on Vimeo.

Academic Programs Progress

Raised $6.5 Million Goal $7.0 Million

University Support Campaign

  • Grow Student Scholarships

    Endowed scholarships enhance MNU's ability to recruit and retain students who have intellectual abilities and talents which will enrich our campus and our future. Additionally, endowed scholarship support increases our capacity to offer competitive financial aid packages and recruit a greater number of outstanding students.

  • Build the University Fund

    Annual gifts to the University Fund ensure MNU proactively addresses immediate needs, emerging issues, and grand ideas spanning multiple disciplines while staying cutting-edge and responsive. These gifts support the University's ongoing operating costs including academic and co-curricular programs, non-endowed scholarships, athletic team support, and general facilities maintenance.

  • Foster Local Church Support

    Education support from local churches helps meet the University's immediate needs and keeps our campus a lively, vibrant, and nurturing place. It is essential to our ability to provide students from the North Central region scholarship opportunities to make an MNU education a reality.

    In turn, MNU invests back into the lives of our local churches: students work and intern alongside youth pastors, associate pastors and others. SERVE teams provide support at district camps and other events. Gradutes fill a variety of ministry and service positions at churches across the region, the country and the world. The churches and MNU are stronger together, and we are excited to build an even stronger relationship.

  • Develop Academic Support Endowments

    Academic support endowments stimulate and nurture MNU's culture of inspired teaching and transformative student learning through focused programs and initiatives that facilitate our students' ability to prepare for their career and calling. This campaign offers opportunities to establish endowments for academic chairs and professorships, faculty professional development and new program development.

  • Create an Unrestricted Endowment

    Unrestricted endowment gifts provide an opportunity to create a lasting and powerful legacy; they provide the flexibility for the University to establish priorities and allocate funds to enhance curricular and residential life initiatives. Support for this initiative can be made through contributions to existing endowments or by honoring a loved one through memorial gifts.

University Support Progress

MNU is committed to transforming lives by providing Christian education responsive to the needs of 21st Century students. Providing support for current operations and endowment purposes is essential for building MNU's fundamental financial strength and security to make our mission a reality for future generations of students.

University support provides the resources necessary to realize our bold aspirations and to carry MNU forward as we enter a new chapter in our history of inspired learning, innovation, creativity, and taking advantage of emerging opportunities.

Bright Futures - University Support from MidAmerica Nazarene University on Vimeo.

University Support Progress

Raised $26.9 Million Goal $26.2 Million

We'd love to hear from you

Let our team share how you can get involved or simply listen to the ways MNU has blessed you

Office of University Advancement

1-877-496-8668

Our Campaign Progress

Every dollar helps create our bright future. We humbly thank all who have helped us in our goal.

Our Campaign Progress

Raised $55.7 Million Goal $61.3 Million
top