Springfield, Ohio - The Wittenberg University Board of Directors decided at its Jan. 26-27 meeting to commit to the construction of a $23 million science education facility to be named the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center.
The board named the new center at the request of Richard L. "Dick" Kuss in honor of his late wife, who was long involved in philanthropic and community activities before her death in 1999.
The project will bring Wittenberg an additional 47,000 square feet of new laboratories, classrooms, office and study space. The expansion is needed to accommodate popular Wittenberg science programs, which have grown by 100 percent during the 1990s. The center will house programs in biology, biochemistry, computer science, chemistry, environmental studies, geology, health professions, marine biology, molecular biology, mathematics and physics.
The work will fill in the open part of the existing L-shaped building. Enclosing the space will also create a grand atrium at the main entrance that will extend three stories to the roof.
Wittenberg has long wished to recognize both Kusses’ contributions to the university and the community. With his latest major gift commitment to the science project, Kuss asked to use the opportunity to honor his late wife of 55 years. While fund raising will continue, Kuss’ gift will allow the project to move forward toward a groundbreaking this spring.
“The Kusses have meant so much to Wittenberg and our whole community that it is fitting for us to associate them with the most ambitious project in our history,” said Wittenberg President Baird Tipson.
Barbara Deer Kuss, an honorary Wittenberg alumna, was a long-time community activist including leadership roles on the Springfield Foundation, Community Hospital and Covenant Presbyterian Church. Dick Kuss graduated from Wittenberg in 1945 and joined Bonded Oil Company where he eventually became president.
“There is probably no significant community fund-raising effort in the past 30 years for which Dick Kuss was not the key player in the background,” said Charles Dominick, vice president for university advancement. Yet until the naming of Kuss Auditorium in 1989 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, the Kuss name was never attached to any project.
It is appropriate that Wittenberg be the new home of the only other Kuss namesake since Kuss has been a power broker for every Wittenberg campaign since the 1950s, said Dominick. “He has been as effective as a fund-raiser as he has been an important donor. It gives you tremendous credibility with other donor prospects when you think enough of your cause to be a major donor yourself.”
In Springfield and Clark County, as well, the Kuss name has loomed large. He is widely credited with being one of those who was instrumental in convincing Navistar to stay in Springfield when the city’s largest employer was considering relocating. Under his leadership, Bonded Oil, which became a subsidiary of Marathon Oil in 1975, grew from a local company to one operating in four states.
Although Kuss has avoided recognition, he has received awards from government, political, service, business and community organizations. Among these are a Wittenberg honorary degree, its Medal of Honor and the Clark County Historical Society’s first “Spirit of Clark County” Award.
As honorary co-chair of The Defining Moments Campaign, Kuss was asked to appear in the campaign promotional video. In it he described his life as a search for meaning, concluding “I have discovered that the meaning of life is to live a meaningful life.”
“The generosity and vision Dick has shown as a businessman, a philanthropist and a leader in our region have meant everything to his community,” President Tipson said. “We are very proud to have the opportunity to display the Kuss name on the Wittenberg campus.”
