Augusta Shepherd

It was a perfect alignment of ideology, empathy and philanthropy. Augusta Shepherd’s passion for rewarding talent and providing opportunities to students matched two core pillars of the Emporia State University Together, Forward campaign –investing in talented students through recruitment scholarships and maintaining a pool of resources to fund student-focused opportunities.

In 2019, Augusta created an estate gift as part of the Together, Forward campaign. She gifted resources for the Legacy Trust Fund – a fund for Emporia State's areas of highest need – added to her investments for the Shepherd Scholars Fund and gave to the Music Department Endowed Scholarship.

Over decades, Augusta and her husband Hershel made significant philanthropic investments at Emporia State. They contributed to the construction of the Hutchinson Pavilion in Welch Stadium and the Shepherd Music Center in Beach Hall. But the couple is best known for the Shepherd Scholars program.

Augusta and Hershel started the Shepherd Scholars scholarship in 1994, and it has been growing and benefitting students ever since. The much sought-after scholarship is awarded to twelve juniors each year. The selection process rewards students who demonstrate exemplary commitment to their studies.

Recognizing students for their talent and effort and giving them resources for greater success is a value the whole family holds dear. Augusta’s children—Jim Shepherd, Joyce French and her late husband Craig, and Judy Hawkins and her husband David­­—have long been contributors to the Shepherd Scholars Fund.

Throughout her life, Augusta believed in the power of education to change lives. She believed in recognizing and encouraging students who are dedicated to their studies, arts and athletics. She felt scholarships encouraged them to stay motivated and aim higher. Likewise, she never wanted to see someone with talent struggle to secure access to education. For the Shepherd family, scholarships are one of the best ways to reward students for their hard work while ensuring they have the necessary resources to complete their education.

These principles fueled Augusta’s passion for scholarship support. So has her love of music and her passion for developing young musicians. Her gift to the Music Department Endowed Scholarship Fund will recognize incoming musicians for the years they have spent honing their talent and will support them in staying on the path of music and education.

It is also a tremendous boost to the music program she loved because scholarships are vital to recruiting future students. “Augusta’s gift allows the music department to recruit the most talented music students. These scholarships will help Emporia State attract outstanding musicians to our campus,” said Ramiro Miranda, assistant professor of Music.

Life taught Augusta to recognize and seize opportunities. As a result, she supported Emporia State through an unrestricted gift designed to give ESU the flexibility to act on unique and unexpected opportunities as they arise.

“Augusta was always thinking ahead and anticipating the needs of others. It is one of the reasons she made part of her gift unrestricted. She understood she could not predict the future or guess what opportunities would be around the corner for ESU. She wanted to make sure Emporia State was ready for every opportunity,” says Shane Shivley, President of the Emporia State University Foundation.

Augusta translated her beliefs into action throughout her life, and her final gift to Emporia State will solidify her legacy in myriad ways — for students, faculty, the university and future generations.

“She has created a virtuous circle. Because of her, students receive accolades and financial support, which gives them confidence in themselves; confidence that will lead them to even greater success.”

“But it also gives them an understanding of the importance of donor support and a campaign like Together, Forward. They see how the scholarships they have received helped them to develop academically and musically. They recognize it is important to pay it forward and provide younger generations the support they need to succeed,” says Miranda.