Awards

IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2001

About Fehnel Family Foundation

Ed Fehnel’s career with Eli Lilly and Company, serving as vice president of Lilly International and vice president of Elanco Animal Health, exposed his wife Dottie and their three children to the world.

Fehnel shared, “In 1959, Dottie and I participated in a trip offered by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) to the Pont Aven School of Art in Brittany, France. We were extremely impressed with the quality of the program and the dedication of its students.”

As an outgrowth of that trip, IMA’s Ellen Lee arranged a meeting with Herron’s dean, Valerie Eickmeier. Soon the Fehnel Family Foundation International Study Scholarship was established to provide support to Herron students studying at Pont Aven.

“The scholarship recipients seemed so inspired and grateful for the experience to study abroad that we soon created another scholarship,” Dottie shares. In 2002, the Fehnel Family Fine Arts Scholarship was established to recognize outstanding undergraduate students who have passed sophomore review and who demonstrate financial need.

“We provide our scholarships because we believe in supporting young artists,” Ed shares. “Each recipient we have met seems extremely dedicated and committed to their educational and artistic goals. We want to help the students have a richer experience and help them attain their dreams and goals.”

The Fehnel scholarships play a significant role in impacting Herron’s students - with 22 students having benefitted from Ed and Dottie’s generosity. The Fehnels enjoy meeting each student and getting to know them a bit better. They have purchased works by scholarship recipient Christie Blizard (B.F.A., 2001) who says the Fehnel Family Foundation International Study Scholarship changed the direction of her academic and professional career.