Northern on 1-yard-line in stadium fundraising with new gifts

Press release

Montana State University-Northern announced that it received two major gifts this past week totaling $250,000 in support of MSU-Northern’s athletic facilities.

The gifts were made to the MSU-Northern Foundation and came from two local sources. The Patrick Family gifted $200,000 and an anonymous donor contributed $50,000.

With the football construction for Phase 1 near completion, the fundraising has not stopped.

“This dream has come to life all thanks to private donors, so it is no surprise that these two gifts are from individuals who support Northern and its evolution,” said Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel. “They understand that investing in Northern and it’s campus is an investment in our students and our future.”

One year ago this month, Northern announced its public launch on a snowy day at the local high school football field. With a goal of $3 million, the fundraising is very close to completion for this phase.

“We are 98 percent to our goal — meaning we are on the 1-yard line for funds raised,” Northern Foundation Executive Director Shantel Cronk said. “It’s often said that the last 10 percent raised is the toughest, but these donations help up take a big leap towards finishing strong.”

Now, with Phase 1 construction near completion, the university has the first turf field within a 100-mile radius.

“Our family has always been big supporters of Northern, its students and athletic programs,” Brett Patrick said, “and having worked on the site during construction, we feel a really strong tie to this project and what it will do for students.”

The Patrick family are owners of Patrick Construction in Havre, worked on the construction and were the first group to break ground for the project.

Another private donor on the Hi-Line made a $50,000 gift in honor of Mike Tilleman. Tilleman, a Chinook High School football standout, University of Montana Grizzly and 11-year NFL player, received the 2015 Founder’s Excellence Award in honor of his loyalty and commitment to MSU-Northern. He was also one the main supporters for bringing football back to campus.

“We’re excited to build on that community-wide pride by investing in Northern to ensure our campus provides the collegiate experience all students deserve.” Kegel said. “We thank all of our donors for their continued support of Northern.”

The Northern Foundation is hosting a special private donor open house today on the new field to show its appreciation.