Transforming Lives: How Wendell Snodgrass and the SEMO Foundation are shaping the university's future

Growing up with eight older siblings, Wendell Snodgrass understood the importance of community, and ended up moving from Texas to Cape Girardeau to be closer to them. In his dual roles as Southeast Missouri State University’s vice president of university advancement and the executive director of the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, it has proven integral to his profession as well.

Since beginning his new duties on Dec. 1, 2022, Snodgrass has overseen the foundation in its goal of supporting the university any way it can. Though independent from SEMO, the foundation raises money to aid the university’s students and educational mission, primarily through accepting donations for scholarships.

“That's usually the first thing people think about is scholarships, but we also raise money for programs, we raise money for capital projects, we raise money for endowments to enhance [those] programs. Those are some of the areas where we try to enhance the university,” Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass fell in love with fundraising while answering phones for his alma mater, Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. His later positions at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas also involved university advancement leadership roles. At both universities, he helped significantly to increase the number of alumni who donated.

“As the only one in my family who has a baccalaureate degree, I found that my path in life was different because I had that lambskin that’s hanging on the wall above me,” he said. “I think it’s important to be able to help students who want to further their education.”

The foundation’s largest ongoing project is its “Transforming Lives” campaign, an endeavor to raise $60 million to improve SEMO’s academics, athletics, facilities and technology. This campaign raised $39 million through conversations with individual donors before its October 2023 public unveiling. It has since raised nearly $6 million more, putting it just shy of three-quarters of the way to completion.

Goals for the initiative include keeping curriculums up-to-date, acquiring leading-edge equipment, creating dynamic learning spaces and modernizing Houck Stadium into a multi-use facility. However, fundraising is only one aspect of Snodgrass’ roles and he believes SEMO alumni could volunteer more than just their money to aid their alma mater. They can also provide valuable connections for current students.

“When we talk about advancing the mission, it’s more than just raising money. Part of advancing the mission is helping with things that [would better] the institution,” he said.

This includes alumni offering paid internships to students and providing career opportunities, opening paths for their advancement.

“I think it’s very important that an alum understands they can always refer a student here, and I’m a firm believer that the best marketing tool we have is our alumni because they are a product of our education,” Snodgrass added. “Who better to talk about the product, i.e. the education here at SEMO, than an alum who went through the program?”

There are 82,000 SEMO alumni across the world, so the foundation has plenty of Redhawks to rely on. University President Carlos Vargas embraces the foundation and Snodgrass said Vargas is regularly involved in alumni engagement and goes on donor calls with him.

“I think it’s important we ask people to invest, not give,” Snodgrass said. “… The key aspect of this is service. In my mind, one of the things I’ve learned in my career is leadership equals service.”

A recent event Snodgrass helped facilitate is a quarterly discussion called “Alumni Coffee with the President” where Vargas travels to the St. Louis area and discusses university issues with any of the 24,000 SEMO alums in the region who attend. Snodgrass and his Southeast Missouri University Foundation team also organized several of the university’s sesquicentennial celebrations when SEMO turned 150 earlier this year. The Sesquicentennial Ball on Saturday, April 6 raised $533,000 for scholarships and SEMO’s annual Giving Day on March 20 raised $359,000 for various SEMO programs such as individual colleges, student support funds and the KRCU station on campus.

Snodgrass said he was fortunate the people who came before him at the 41-year-old foundation had laid the groundwork for the work his team is doing in the present.

“In no way, shape or form is it me,” he said. “It's the great team that we have, and they've carried on the traditions that have been here prior to us.”

The foundation’s board of directors alone has nearly 40 members, not counting university members or emeritus directors. They formally meet twice a year, but each member serves on different committees that often convene more frequently. In his ex-officio role, Snodgrass is part of every committee.

Snodgrass likes to think of the university as a major economic force in the region, bringing not only students but also their families and various alumni to Cape Girardeau. Over the years, SEMO has formed tight bonds with local businesses and organizations. In his eyes, Cape Girardeau exemplifies family ties and togetherness.

“Cape to me is a big-small town if that makes sense … for me, as a kid who grew up in a small town, to be able to have family and friends close by is important,” Snodgrass said.

And with so many Redhawks living in Southeast Missouri, having alumni close by to support their alma mater helps, too.