A financial contribution from the estate of Donald G. and Susie R. Wilson, developed in collaboration with the KSU Foundation and Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and 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 will include a housing stipend.
In 2016, inspired by the Wilsons’ commitment, the college created the APDesign Fifth-Year Fellowship Program [https://ksufoundation.org/give/give-to-k-state-colleges/college-architecture-planning-design/5thyear] 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, Andover; Kara Davis, Meriden; Colton Gauthier, El Dorado; Miguel Perez, Ulysses; and Devin Tilley, Wakefield.
From out of state: Cale Mueller, Kansas City, Missouri; and Grace Parrott, Riverside, Missouri.
“It’s a beautiful thing that I attend a university with opportunities like this to help students pay for their graduate classes,” said Parrott. “I feel honored that I was given this scholarship and I hope to be able to pass on the gift in the future.”
More information about the Donald G. and Susie R. Wilson College of Architecture, Planning and Design Fund can be found here.
