Mark Taylor ’78

THE BACKGROUND: The associate general counsel for Citigroup Energy in Houston, Mark Taylor has been a member of the College’s Board of Trustees since 2001. “After I’d only been in law school a short time, I could tell it would’ve been a completely different and sub-optimal experience if I’d gone to a larger school for my undergraduate degree,” he said.

THE GIFT: Via his retirement account, which includes the College as a beneficiary, Taylor’s gift will support three areas: $500,000 to the Mark Taylor Endowment for Junior Faculty Development; $250,000 to the Mark Taylor Endowment for Student Support Services; and $250,000 unrestricted to support the College’s greatest needs.

WHY HE GIVES: “The people who work at Monmouth make a great impact on each other and on the students, yet those people come and go,” he said. “The institution continues to survive and thrive throughout the years because of gifts from people who are able to make them, and I’m happy to do my part. The Light This Candle campaign has a strong focus on endowment. It’s not one gift, and it’s gone. These gifts will continue to give back to the school. I’m very happy to give in a way that goes to endowed funds.”

MONMOUTH MEMORIES: A young professor who had an important impact on Taylor’s time as a student was Richard “Doc” Kieft. “He was always there, always around,” said Taylor. “I didn’t have him for a class, but he became adviser of my fraternity, ZBT (Zeta Beta Tau). He was a great friend of mine until the day he died. I loved the fact that the faculty got to know you. You couldn’t not show up for class. In some of my upper-level chemistry courses, there were just three or four students. I loved the individual attention that students got from faculty.”