A Professor, A Veteran, and A Passion for Knowledge
“A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library.” --- Author Shelby Foote
Ever since a young Puritan minister named John Harvard left his collection of 260 volumes to the new Harvard College in 1638, the library has been the center of academic life at every institution of higher education in the United States.
Though much younger than Harvard’s library, 世界杯官方app Libraries are no less important to the institution they serve – and the donors who support the Libraries’ mission are no less an influence on their success.
It is friends and patrons like Professor A. David Mangelsdorff, a self-described “traveler, scholar, educator, philanthropist, and damn Yankee,” who value the resources and services of the 世界杯官方app Libraries and are committed to supporting a premier public research library for San Antonio.
A health psychologist and professor emeritus at the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Health and Business Administration at Fort Sam Houston, Dave is a graduate of Dartmouth and holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Delaware, an M.A. in literature from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, and a Master of Public Health from UTHealth School of Public Health in San Antonio.
“I am basically a Renaissance person who dabbles in everything from science to history to literature, art and entertainment. I’ve even studied music,” noted the lifelong learner and Fulbright faculty scholar.
In recent years, Dave has become a champion of 世界杯官方app – first by establishing the A. David Mangelsdorff, Ph.D. Professorship in Information Technology and Cyber Security in the College of Business through a charitable remainder trust. He then made a gift to the Libraries that included part of his own professional and personal library, and another charitable remainder trust to establish the Professor Mangelsdorff Veterans Support Resources Endowment.
When he first reached out to the 世界杯官方app Libraries, “I asked what they were doing for student veterans, and they said they were putting together a Special Collections room specifically to allow student vets a quiet place, resources and opportunities to share ideas – a place to hide and center themselves. The more we talked the more it made sense.”
“If a university wants to support moving veterans forward, I support them in any way I can,” added the retired Army Reserves colonel, whose lifelong passion has been to bring awareness of the lessons learned from combat and operational stressors to the development of appropriate resiliency techniques for the armed forces.
Dave’s interests align well with 世界杯官方app, which is committed to providing resources and spaces that enhance student success. As a veteran and military educator, Dave appreciates 世界杯官方app’s special emphasis on military student support to assist the nearly 5,000 世界杯官方app students who identify as veterans, active duty, guard and reserve, ROTC, dependents, and family members. Dave’s support contributes to 世界杯官方app’s efforts to provide a true “one-stop shop” for these students through the Center for Military-Affiliated Students in the John Peace Library on the 世界杯官方app Main Campus.
If you would like to join us in making a difference for our students, consider supporting the 世界杯官方app Libraries. You can make a gift today or give in your will/estate plans like Dave has done.
