Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Kevin Cannon, PhD, associate professor and chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) criminal justice studies program, will leave a lasting legacy at the University. He has created a planned gift of $150,000 through life insurance that will establish an endowed student travel scholarship.
The CAS Broadening Horizons Travel Scholarship will be available to all CAS majors, with preference given to students with a demonstrated financial need, no international travel experience (including vacations), and an earnest response to the question: “How would a study abroad opportunity impact your life and affect your educational goals?”
“This planned gift through life insurance allows me to provide greater financial resources to the University than I could ever afford to donate while alive,” Cannon explained regarding his decision to become a member of SIUE’s Heritage Society and provide support via a planned gift. “The cost of life insurance is minimal, but the payoff will allow the University to help students for many years to come.”
“As a professor, I have always encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad,” Cannon added. “The purpose of attending college is to broaden the experiences of students. Nothing accomplishes that goal more than living in another culture. This is the best way I can make a truly lasting impact on future student experiences.”
“Endowed scholarships are extremely impactful, because they provide scholarship support to students annually, and the fund pays out in perpetuity,” said CAS Director of Development Kyle Moore. “Planned gifts like Dr. Cannon’s allow people to leave a lasting effect on campus and can be created through a myriad of ways, including life insurance, marketable securities, IRAs, tangible property and real estate.”
Cannon says his personal experiences spurred his desire to help students see the world and experience different cultures.
“I pursued two study abroad opportunities when I was in undergraduate and graduate school,” Cannon recalled. “I spent a year at the University of Amsterdam and one semester at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. These two experiences were incredibly influential in the course that my life took.”
“For this scholarship, I wanted to support students who have a similar background as me,” he said. “My family did not have the financial resources to pay for the costs of my travel, so I had to take out extra student loans. I had also never traveled anywhere outside the country when I first went to Amsterdam. In fact, that trip was my first flight.”
Scholarship preference will also be given to students majoring in the social sciences, including anthropology, criminal justice, geography, political science, public administration and policy analysis, social work and sociology.
To support the CAS Broadening Horizons Travel Scholarship or learn more about establishing a planned gift, please contact CAS Director of Development Kyle Moore at 618-650-5048 or kymoore@siue.edu.
Photo: SIUE’s Kevin Cannon, PhD, associate professor and chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ criminal justice studies program.