Cottey Receives Major Gift for Student Center Project

Cottey College is pleased to announce a lead gift from Susan Bulkeley Butler for its student center project. “I am so pleased to announce that the proposed student center will henceforth be known as the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Campus Life,” said Dr. Jann Weitzel, President.

When the student center initiative, known as Connect, was launched, Dr. Weitzel noted that Cottey is a student-focused college with no student center. The new student center will be located in the lower level of the Chapel, which is in the heart of campus. The 5,000 square feet in that space will house the bookstore/spirit shop, currently in Main Hall, the Chellie Club snack bar, currently in Hinkhouse Center, along with gathering and meeting spots and lockers for commuter students. Butler’s lead gift will help that vision become a reality.

“I am a P.E.O.,” said Butler, “so Cottey has always come up in my mind. I am all about helping women be more successful, and this is an opportunity for me to help other women. If I can help, I’m going to do it!”

Butler is a longtime friend of and donor to Cottey College. She is recognized globally as a business leader, author, executive coach and mentor. She joined Arthur Andersen and Company as its first professional female employee in 1965, and 14 years later, she was named the first female partner of its consulting organization, now known as Accenture. Before her retirement in 2002, Susan was the managing Partner for Accenture’s Office of the CEO. She served on Accenture’s Executive Committee, which set the company’s strategy, and as president of the Accenture Foundation, which provides grants for education. Butler also served as the CEO of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders.

Butler is an incredible role model for women; she has been a frequent speaker on women’s leadership and is committed to developing, coaching and mentoring women and girls so they can make bold changes in their lives and in the world. She is author of two books: Become the C.E.O. of You and Women Count: A Guide to Changing the World.

Butler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and an Honorary Doctorate in Management from Purdue University. Susan has served as a visionary delegate for Vision 2020, a national project focused on advancing gender equality by August 2020; a member of the worldwide board of Junior Achievement and LeaderShape LLC; the Dean’s Advisory Council at Purdue’s Krannert School of Management; the National Board of Advisors of Eller College of Management; and the School of Science at the University of Arizona.

Butler was introduced to Cottey College when she was a keynote speaker at the 2007 Convention of International Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and then was invited to serve as Leader in Residence at Cottey in 2008. She served as a member of the Advisory Council for the Defining Moments Campaign, and in 2015 she served as the commencement speaker. Members of the Cottey community may also know her name from the courtyard of the Judy and Glenn Rogers Fine Arts Building, a recognition she received for her contribution to the Defining Moment Campaign.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” added Butler, “and I am giving forward.”

“Cottey College is extremely fortunate,” responded Dr. Weitzel, “to have friends like Susan Bulkeley Butler who believe in supporting and mentoring women to encourage them to become their very best selves. She is a great benefactor to the College and is also a tremendous role model for our students.”

Architects GastingerWalker& have been retained to design the new student center. GastingerWalker& designed the Judy and Glenn Rogers Fine Arts Building completed in 2015 and most recently the redesign of the parlor in P.E.O. Hall.

For more information on the Connect initiative, visit cottey.edu/connect/.