June 12, 2006 

Although now retired, longtime Abilene Christian University College of Business Administration faculty member A. Don Drennan's impact on business students can still be felt. So much so, they created a scholarship to honor him.

The College of Business Administration of Abilene Christian University is proud to announce the establishment of the A. Don Drennan Business Endowed Scholarship.  The scholarship fund was established by the ACU College of Business Administration and students in MGMT 120:  Introduction to Business and Technology course in honor of A. Don Drennan, a man of business acumen and knowledge who continues to give himself wholeheartedly to Christian education.

Drennan graduated from ACU in 1958 with a BS in Business Administration.  In 1962, he received a MS in General Business from ACU.  He has served in various roles in many organizations throughout his life.  Don and his wife Rudith currently reside in West Virginia where he serves as Senior Vice President for Special Projects at Ohio Valley University.

Former COBA dean Dr. Bill Petty ('64) describes Don as "the most positive person I've known" and one of his greatest encouragers.  Drennan taught Introduction to Accounting for many years and at the request of Petty, took over teaching the Introduction to Business where it was more fully developed into a course.  Petty noted Drennan's remarkable ability to memorize the names of approximately 250 students usually within the first week of class. 

Drennan taught the class for many years for the salary of $1 per semester.  In 1998, former COBA dean Dr. Jack Griggs ('64) doubled his salary to $2 per semester with great ceremony.  Griggs noted Drennan’s remarkable history of leadership and service:  president of the student body at Abilene High School, president of the student body at ACU, assistant to the president and director of budgeting at ACU, professor of accounting, ACU athletic director, member of the ACU Board of Trustees, and member of the Abilene City Council.  And of course, all former and present members of Sub T-16 would quickly want to mention he was a Subber as an ACU student.

Drennan is responsible for starting the Student Managed Investment Fund (STAR), which gives students a real approach to handling money, investing and putting to practice the skills they've learned. The STAR fund is administered by COBA faculty advisors Dr. Jack Griggs, Dr. Terry Pope and Dr. Jonathan Stewart as well as a select group of student managers. 

Dr. Monty Lynn was instrumental in the establishment of this endowment though he is quick to give full credit to the Intro to Business students as they raised every dollar of the initial investment.  Lynn is the current professor of the class Drennan taught for many years.  Lynn commented how “fitting it is that Don be named for this scholarship because students are what Don was about—he loved them, expected much from them, and sacrificed for them.”

Students raised the money through the Venture Out program, a component of the Intro to Business course.  This program was established to give business students a taste of entrepreneurial activities as freshman.  Students are divided into teams where they create a small business, taking it from conception to harvest.  The proceeds from the sales of Venture Out products formed the core investment for the Drennan Scholarship Fund.  Proceeds from the sales of Venture Out products are donated to various charities as well as scholarship funds.

The university will now invest the lump sum that serves as the foundation for the endowed scholarship, and earnings will be added to the fund. Along with the earnings, the fund will grow with donations.

 

Scholarships will be awarded to deserving ACU students in the College of Business Administration who face financial hardship. Criteria for the scholarships will include character, hard work and a promise of growth by each recipient. Recipients must acquire and obtain a grade point average of 2.75 or higher.

 

Donations may be made to the A. Don Drennan Endowment by contacting http://www.acu.edu/campusoffices/development/giveonline.html.