MANHATTAN — A financial contribution from the estate of Donald G. and Susie R. Wilson, developed in collaboration with the KSU Foundation and Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, is now the largest commitment to date for the college. Valued at approximately $13 million, the charitable trust fund established by the late Donald Wilson, a 1959 K-State architecture graduate, and his late wife, Susie, will eventually provide annual fellowships to approximately 20 APDesign students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
The fellowships will cover the cost of tuition, fees and books, and it will include a housing stipend. In 2016, inspired by the Wilsons' commitment, the college created the APDesign Fifth-Year Fellowship Program with the goal of reducing the cost of its accelerated five-year master's degree program for all students in their final year. More than 50 fellowships were awarded for the 2024-25 academic year.
"Tomorrow's architects, planners and designers will have the privilege — and responsibility — of creating spaces that improve the lives of those who experience them," Michael McClure, dean of the college, said. "It's important to us to develop a group of design professionals that reflects the diverse society we serve, and that starts with making a K-State APDesign education as affordable as possible.
"The following students received this year's fellowship through the Wilson fund:Alexis Broadbent, master's student in architecture, Andover; Colton Gauthier, master's student in architecture, El Dorado; Kara Davis, master's student in interior architecture, Meriden; Miguel Perez, master's student in architecture, Ulysses; and Devin Tilley, master's student in landscape architecture, Wakefield. From out of state: Cale Mueller, master's student in landscape architecture, Kansas City, Missouri; and Grace Parrott, master's student in interior architecture, Riverside, Missouri.
Visit www.ksufoundation.org/impact/category/release for more information.