Numerous dignitaries were on hand Wednesday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication of Webster Hall tiered classrooms 105 and 106.  The classrooms will now be known as the Ruth L. Kolpin-Rubison Classrooms.  

“We always like to recognize donors who have been so generous to the University,” said Southern President Alan Marble.  “This is the first really great chance we’ve had to recognize what Ruth Kolpin has done for the University over the years, so it’s a great day for us.”

In 2003, Kolpin gave an endowment to the communication department at Missouri Southern to provide broadcasting scholarships for students majoring in communication and working for the television station, KGCS.  

In 2008, according to Dr. Chad Stebbins, communication department spokesman at the event, Kolpin saved the station by providing funds to convert the station’s signal from analog to digital, allowing KGCS to serve 167,000 households across the four-state area. Kolpin has also given generous annual donations to the Southern Media Showcase where high school students get a chance to attend a media conference.

Referring to the dedication, former Southern president Dr. Julio León said, “This day is important because it represents the support this institution has from the community.”

Earlier this year Kolpin’s foundation provided another generous gift to the International Mission Endowment Fund to assist Southern students in studying abroad and to help bring international cultural programs to the campus.

“Ruth really is an amazing woman,” said Stebbins, who is director of the Institute of International Studies at Southern. “She has helped Missouri Southern on numerous occasions over the years including this latest project. We’re very pleased to dedicate these two classrooms.”

In 1997, Southern named Kolpin as the first recipient of the Pioneer Broadcaster Award, which later became the Regional Media Hall of Fame.

“This means a lot, I love this University,” said Kolpin-Rubison.