{"id":89518,"date":"2021-11-05T23:13:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T04:13:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/?p=89518"},"modified":"2021-11-09T08:53:33","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T14:53:33","slug":"delta-state-renames-chemistry-lab-in-honor-of-supporters-joe-and-amanda-baker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/11\/delta-state-renames-chemistry-lab-in-honor-of-supporters-joe-and-amanda-baker\/","title":{"rendered":"Delta State renames chemistry lab in honor of supporters Joe and Amanda Baker"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_spacing=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]CLEVELAND, Miss.\u2014<\/strong>A Delta State University general chemistry laboratory that is being used to help prepare the next generation of scientists, teachers and thinkers has now been renamed in honor of supporters Joe \u201975, \u201877 and Amanda Baker.<\/p>\n

Delta State faculty, staff and friends gathered on the second floor of the Caylor-White Science Building on Oct. 29 for the dedication ceremony prompted following the couple\u2019s generous $250,000 gift in 2019 to support Delta State\u2019s Division of Mathematics and Sciences.<\/p>\n

During the event, Delta State President William N. LaForge said that Joe and his late wife, Amanda, are most-deserving of the honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really a grand occasion for Delta State, and we really appreciate our faculty, staff, alumni and supporters for coming and being a part of this. We wish Amanda, \u201cAJ,\u201d was here cheering us on as well. We appreciate very much that she was a part of this, and we celebrate her today as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to LaForge, the Bakers\u2019 gift has had a great impact on Delta State faculty and students.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Baker is somewhat of an enigma because when he was a student here, he was a relatively quiet guy. He really focused his time on the Sciences, and it literally and figuratively paid off for him,\u201d said LaForge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has thought enough of Delta State and the experiences that set the platform for him to share his treasure with us. This gift has been transformational\u2014nothing short of that. We\u2019re so grateful for you Joe, as well as AJ, for your thoughtfulness, your consideration and for remembering the lessons you learned at Delta State. We really appreciate your generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Ellen Green, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Delta State, echoed that appreciation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Division of Math and Science, we are so grateful. I can\u2019t even begin to tell you the transformation that has happened in this building over the last few years. It is so amazing to get a donation of this size\u2026.We\u2019re now able to do activities and lab exercises with our students that we weren\u2019t able to do before, so it\u2019s a really huge transformation, and we just want to say thank you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Vice President of University Advancement and External Relations Rick Munroe agreed that the gift has provided a tremendous boost for the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe morale of the faculty of this building has gone up 100 percent now that they have discretionary dollars to buy equipment and supplies beyond the normal needs of laboratory equipment, so it\u2019s very fitting today that we place The Bakers\u2019 name on one of our major labs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Joe came to Delta State in 1971, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy career took me in a little bit of a different direction, but I was really happy with the direction I took,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like I had a great education here at Delta State.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, he returned to Delta State in 1977, earning a master\u2019s degree in Interdisciplinary Science.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a lot of time in this building,\u201d he shared. \u201cIt was an interesting time. I felt like the instructors I had were excellent, but you could tell as a student at that time that they were struggling with resources. It\u2019s an age-old problem of needing resources to accomplish everything you want to do, and when you\u2019re working in the Sciences, it can be quite expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the opportunity came to give back to Delta State, Baker said it was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to do it in a two-prong approach\u2014one was to provide the money that would allow an upgrade for some of the equipment here. I was really happy that AJ and I were able to support that upgrade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baker said the next phase is to give money in an endowment for scholarships to help students.<\/p>\n

\u201cAJ and I talked about it a lot; it meant a lot to her, and she would be very sorry not to be here. We both talked about how important education was\u2026She understood what Delta State is about and having the opportunity to give back meant a lot to the both of us. I\u2019m very pleased and honored for the occasion today.\u201d<\/p>\n

More photos from the event:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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