Northern alum gifts $500,000 to to University for scholarship fund

from Montana State University-Northern

Montana State University-Northern announced it has received a gift in the amount of $500,000 from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous but shared that he was a Northern alum from the class of 1963.

He made the gift with the intention of supporting students who want to attain higher education. While open to anyone, he also wants to support students from the area of Montana he calls home. The donor set up a new scholarship with preference given to Northern students who came from high schools in Daniels or Valley County, along with those who graduated from Saco High School.

The donation will support an endowment which will fund, in perpetuity, at least $15,000 per year in student scholarships, specifically for those of financial need.

"Any size gift we receive at Northern is extremely appreciated," said Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel. "And a gift of this size, in an endowment, means that we can bring stability and longevity to our scholarships. It's especially meaningful that it came from a former Northern graduate."

The donor, who studied biological science at Northern, went on to get his master's out of state before coming back to Montana to teach and then farm.

"I went to college at Northern under the G.I. Bill after serving in the military. When I went on to get my master's, I was with people who had attended top-tier universities from around the U.S. and I knew that the education I received at Northern set me up to be just as prepared as my peers," the alum said.

"It was so great to meet the alum in person this past week and thank him firsthand." said Shantel Cronk, executive director of the MSU-Northern Foundation. "He is a very sweet, funny, kind-hearted person who provides a legacy of helping future students at Northern."

One of the many stories the alum shared with Cronk highlighted a fun story about the "Snow Queen" in front of what was then the Morgan Annex. The photo of the Snow Queen can also be found in the opening pages of the 1961 Northerner yearbook.

Cronk, whose last day with the Foundation is Tuesday, May 10, said she is grateful to be leaving on the wave of such generosity from someone with unforgettable memories of his time at Northern.

The MSU-Northern Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that acts as a fundraising arm of MSU-Northern University. More information can be found at http://www.msunfoundation.org .