Western Kentucky alumna, employee and longtime university benefactor Dixie Mahurin (left) stands with WKU men's basketball coach Hank Plona. Mahurin has made a gift to endow the men's basketball head coach position, the first endowed position in WKU athletics. (WKU ATHLETICS)

Two-time alumna, Western Kentucky employee and longtime benefactor Dixie Mahurin has made a gift to endow the head coach for men’s basketball position, the first endowed position in WKU athletics.

“Gifts like these not only change the programs they benefit, but they also elevate our entire institution,” WKU President Timothy C. Caboni said in a news release. “By generating a prestigious and desirable named position for the men’s basketball program, this gift ensures that the program is well-positioned to attract and retain a head coach with proven leadership on and off the court, making WKU a destination of choice for leading athletics professionals.”

Current head coach Hank Plona will serve as the first Mahurin Family Foundation Head Men’s Basketball Coach.

“Dixie Mahurin has been a blessing for WKU for so many years, and her day-to-day support and belief in our program is a driving force in our success,” Plona said. “Dixie is upbeat, always believes the best is in front of us, and instills a togetherness and determination for all of us to represent this special University in a way that makes her proud.

“We are so fortunate that Dixie continues to choose to come to work every day, as she says, and builds lifelong relationships with our players, coaches, managers and everyone who touches our program,” Plona added.

This fund provides support for the success and vitality of the WKU men’s basketball program, including salary enhancements for the head men’s basketball coach and ongoing operational funding for travel, recruitment and equipment.

“My hope is that through this gift the current and future student-athletes who are a part of the WKU men’s basketball program will have increased opportunities to succeed on the court, in the classroom and in life,” Dixie Mahurin said. “This program and WKU athletics have meant so much to me over the course of my career in academic advising, and I can’t think of a better way to continue to ensure success at the highest level for the team and coaches.”

“The generosity of Dixie Mahurin with this phenomenal commitment will have a generational impact on our Men’s Basketball program,” said Todd Stewart, Director of WKU Athletics. “Everyone close to our program and within the Athletics department knows how much Dixie truly cares about our student-athletes. She sees them as people first and players second and has played an instrumental role in helping them to graduate with a meaningful degree while helping prepare them for life after college.”

Dixie Mahurin and her late husband, Pete Mahurin, have made several leadership-level gifts to the University over more than four decades. The Mahurin legacy of philanthropy includes numerous scholarships, a gift in 2002 that created a professorship in gifted studies, a gift in 2010 that facilitated the move of the headquarters of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children to WKU, and a 2016 gift that provided endowed support for the Honors College that was recognized by the WKU Board of Regents naming the College in their honor.

“The Mahurin name is already a familiar one to the entire WKU community because the Mahurins didn’t just earn their degrees and forget about their alma mater, and they never just made a gift and simply walked away,” said Amanda Trabue, Vice President for Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement. “They have always been extremely thoughtful and judicious with their giving as they invest in proven programs that they know can be even more successful with the right support, and they advocate for those programs passionately.

“This gift further fuses the Mahurin name with excellence and continued achievement at WKU,” Trabue added.

“I was raised to believe that hoarding is never the right thing to do, and I hope to leave a legacy of generosity that will encourage others to do the same,” Mahurin said. “My hope is to leave WKU athletics better than I found it. My relationships with and trust in Kathryn Downing Smith, coach Hank Plona, coach Darryl Jackson and coach Martin Cross give me great confidence in the future of Hilltopper men’s basketball, and I’m excited about the impact this gift will have.”