Alumnus honors Hoppe with gift to provide student scholarships
Although he has attained the pinnacle of success, Austin Peay State University alumnus Wayne Pace never forgets the role APSU played in his life.In July, as a way of honoring outgoing APSU President Sherry Hoppe, Pace committed $250,000 to establish a scholarship endowment in the discipline of her choice.
Hoppe chose to use Paces gift to provide special scholarships to education majors during the time they are doing their practice teaching.
Although he has attained the pinnacle of success, Austin Peay State University alumnus Wayne Pace never forgets the role APSU played in his life.
In July, as a way of honoring outgoing APSU President Sherry Hoppe, Pace committed $250,000 to establish a scholarship endowment in the discipline of her choice.
Hoppe chose to use Pace's gift to provide special scholarships to education majors during the time they are doing their practice teaching.
鈥淚'm pleased to be able to make this commitment to APSU on behalf of my family in honor of Dr. Hoppe,鈥 Pace said. 鈥淎ustin Peay has had a major positive influence on me personally and professionally, and Dr. Hoppe has done much to advance our University and correspondingly benefit my hometown, Clarksville, during her presidency.
鈥淔ollowing the announcement of her retirement, I began to think about what I might be able to do to acknowledge in some way the many accomplishments during her too-brief tenure.鈥
According to Pace, recently when Hoppe and Roy Gregory, executive director for University Advancement, visited him in New York City, Pace brought up the idea of an endowment for scholarships in an area of interest to her.
鈥淚 think it is great that Dr. Hoppe has chosen to provide special scholarships for education majors while they are completing their practice teaching,鈥 Pace said. 鈥淚 helped pay my own way through APSU and graduate school by working in the classroom and believe that teaching is among the highest of professional callings.鈥
Hoppe noted that many APSU students work and, while doing their student teaching, have to give up income they and their families need.
鈥淗aving worked full time while in college myself, I remember well the semester I had to be without income to fulfill the student-teaching requirement, so using Wayne's generous gift to help students in similar circumstances seems a perfect fit,鈥 Hoppe said. 鈥淚 am humbled and honored by the tribute Wayne is paying to me through this gift.鈥
A resident of New York City and Atlanta, Pace has been executive vice president and chief financial officer of Time Warner Inc. since November 2001. As such, he plays a pivotal role in driving value creation across Time Warner and oversees all of the company's finance functions, including mergers and acquisitions.
Previously, Pace was vice chair and chief financial and administrative officer of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Inc. As part of his duties, Pace was responsible for the October 1996 merger of Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner. Prior to joining TBS Inc., he was a partner with the Atlanta office of Price Waterhouse.
He joined Price Waterhouse in 1970, after earning a master's degree in accounting from the University of Georgia. He received a bachelor's in accounting and economics from APSU in 1968. Pace, who has received many honors from both universities, gave Austin Peay's December 1997 Commencement address.
Over the years, Pace and his family have given generously to Austin Peay. In March 2002, Pace presented Dr. Sherry Hoppe with a gift of $400,000 to endow four $100,000 scholarships in honor of four of his former professors: Lawrence Baggett, accounting; Dr. William Ellis, biology; Glenn Gentry, accounting; and Charles Waters, English.
In April 1999, Pace and his wife, Bobbi, an APSU alumna, gave APSU $650,000 for the much-needed renovation and expansion of the Pace Alumni Center at Emerald Hill.
His commitment last month increases the Paces' gifts to APSU to more than $1.3 million. -- Dennie B. Burke