2020-2021 PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT R…PORT
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As a farm girl from rural Minnesota, I am humbled to serve as the Chair of the St. Cloud State University Foundation Board during this important time. I never thought I’d be in a role like this when I graduated in 1985, and yet here I am, helping to champion the University’s first campaign in more than 20 years — and the largest in its history, called Unleash the Future: The Campaign for St. Cloud State.
TOTAL GIFTS RAISED FY ’21 $4,791,177 Academic Scholarships
$3,022,224 I 63%
Athletic Scholarships
$74,007 I 2%
Unrestricted
Why is this important to me? For my husband Jeff and me, St. Cloud State is where it all began. We met here as undergraduates, we made life-long friends here, and our careers took flight from this institution. The education we both received set us up well for our careers, and our experiences shaped who we became as adults. So it is our honor to give back to the University that gave us so much.
$200,555 I 4%
Academic Programs
$733,236 I 15%
Athletic Programs
$370.584 I 8%
Capital Projects
$390,572 I 8%
The Unleash the Future campaign offers numerous opportunities for alumni and friends to transform student experiences through their gifts. And every gift, no matter the size, counts as we strive to meet and exceed our goal of $32M. Jeff and I have chosen to endow a scholarship to assist first-generation college students studying accounting or mass communications. Jeff is a first-generation college attendee, so we wanted to make a difference for similar students. The letters we receive from our scholarship recipients confirm the important role scholarships play. They are powerful and moving and motivate us to do more. If you’re on the fence at all about doing more for the students at St. Cloud State, I urge you to contact University Advancement to learn more about the impact you can make – you won’t regret it. After all, to whom much is given, much is expected.
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION NET ASSETS $60,000,000 $55,000,000 $50,000,000 $45,000,000 $40,000,000 $35,000,000
The Foundation Board is committed to continuing its legacy of bringing strong governance, oversight and policy making to its work with the University Advancement department. In doing so, we strive to give to you, our donor community, confidence that we will be good stewards of the gifts you share with us — for the benefit of our students, faculty and staff.
$30,000,000 $25,000,000 $20,000,000 $15,000,000
We outperformed the previous fiscal year by 3% having raised nearly $4.8M. Historic levels of market returns and contributions to principal drove the Foundation’s overall net assets to a record $57,433,597 which will most certainly be a boon for the amount the Foundation transfers to its spendable accounts in January – good news for student scholarships and for academic and athletics programs that utilize Foundation resources to strengthen our students’ experiences. Most significantly, St. Cloud State University and the SCSU Foundation publicly announced Unleash the Future: The Campaign for St. Cloud State, the University’s first campaign in over 20 years. With a goal of $32,000,000 the campaign is important for two reasons. First the dollars raised through your gifts propel the University’s It’s Time vision, and as importantly, it signals a permanent shift in the role philanthropy will play in the University’s future. While we are very grateful for the assistance provided to St. Cloud State by the State of Minnesota, we recognize that philanthropy will increasingly play a larger role in how we achieve our vision and strengthen our historical mission of providing access and opportunity to students throughout Minnesota. To every donor that helped us achieve such success on behalf of our students, faculty and staff, I say thank you. Without your commitment we would not have achieved the success we have, and as of this publication we have now raised $31,666,791 or 99% of our goal! But our success is not about us, it is about the students we serve and that is what brings us the greatest satisfaction. As you page through this report you’ll see that philanthropy is evident throughout SCSU’s campus. It’s in the hope that a scholarship offers. It’s in the success of our student athletes. It’s in the realization of a family’s dream when that first member earns their degree. Thank you for making St. Cloud State University your philanthropic priority!
Challenging times bring out the best in people and organizations. As you know, FY ’21 was fraught with challenges of operating a university in the midst of a pandemic, but I am proud of campus leaders, faculty and staff who brought creativity and innovation to successfully address these challenges. We effectively navigated the transition to different teaching modalities with a minimum of disruption to our students and found safe and imaginative ways to engage students in co-curricular activities and to ensure that our intercollegiate athletics teams continued to compete. We are a great university and we are taking a bold and innovative approach to focus on maintaining that excellence in the future. Our initiative, called “It’s Time”, is building distinctive areas of academic excellence, creating pathways for new academic programs in high demand, creating an individualized approach to student retention and extending our visibility across the country and the globe. The It’s Time work is fueled by our Unleash the Future campaign and its priorities and I’m excited to see our priorities brought to life through philanthropy. I want to personally thank you for your commitment as a donor because now, as we move forward into our It’s Time vision, your support is an essential ingredient in our future success. You are one of thousands of alumni, community leaders, industry partners, faculty, staff and friends of St. Cloud State, who share a passion for SCSU and who have acted on that passion. As we find ourselves in the home stretch of our Unleash the Future campaign, now is the perfect time for our donor community to take action, and invest in our students, faculty, staff and coaches to help propel us towards our vision of creating a distinctively different University! Our Advancement team is available to assist you with any questions you might have and to help you navigate the process. Thank you for your generous gifts and confidence in our mission of preparing students for work, life and citizenship. This Impact Report shares just a few examples of the way in which your gifts are helping St. Cloud State change lives. Together, we are transforming the experiences of our students in the classroom, on the playing field, and in co-curricular and extracurricular learning opportunities. Thank you for your continued advocacy and support of St. Cloud State University. Go Huskies!
Thank you for joining me in unleashing your loyal support for SCSU!
$10,000,000 $5,000,000 $0
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Although uncertainties due to COVID continued to present challenges to the St. Cloud State University Foundation’s fundraising efforts in FY 2021, we continue to have much to celebrate.
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Lynne Warne, ’85 Chair
Matt Andrew Vice President of University Advancement
Dr. Robbyn R. Wacker President
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SUPPORTING THE ARTS IMPORTANT TO ALUMNI COUPLE degree in education, specializing in art and English and her career included a term on the Architectural Board for the State of Minnesota. “Jim and I have been fortunate to have worked with people who’ve achieved success in the arts and we felt it was important that students get that same opportunity” according to Bev.
Jim and Bev Pehler graduated from St. Cloud State in 1965 and 1972 respectively and have been giving back ever since. Jim spent his career on the faculty of Communication Studies, and as a long-time teaching practitioner believed in the power of co-curricular experiences to super charge classroom learning. Bev earned a
Danez Smith
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Jim and Bev support the Pehler Artist in Residency Program in the School of Arts because it exposes students to new ways of viewing communication in society and helps them think more critically about the role communications play in our everyday lives. “Students respond to different stimuli and you never know what might spark a breakthrough in their understanding. Having relevant co-curricular programs can often provide that spark” said Jim. In Spring 2021 the Pehler Artist-in-Residence Program was able to bring Danez Smith, a 2017 National Book Award for Poetry finalist to students via Zoom through the Department of English. The visit consisted of two events including a “craft talk” for majors and minors. “We understand that when budgets get tight it’s often unaffordable to bring in outside artists, which is why we’re so pleased that even during the pandemic the faculty were able to use our gift to expose students to the unique voice of Danez Smith. It’s especially important during this difficult time that faculty find creative co-curricular opportunities to engage students. Bev and I are very pleased to support the Pehler Artist-in-Residence program in the School of the Arts” explained Jim. Sadly, Jim Pehler passed away suddenly in October 2021.
INSURANCE SCHOLARSHIP MEANT TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR CHANGING INDUSTRY
MCAT GRANT DEDICATED IN HONOR OF LATE SCSU PHYSICIAN DR. CARRIE HOLMES
A $25,000 gift from Justin ’97 and Nicolle O’Keefe has created a scholarship for St. Cloud State University students in the University’s insurance program, the only one of its kind in the Minn. State system.
St. Cloud State University men’s soccer coach Sean Holmes met up with his wife, Dr. Carrie Holmes — a physician with the SCSU Medical Clinic, at a campus Halloween event Oct. 29, 2020. The couple then parted ways. Hours later, Sean would receive a call that his wife had been rushed to the hospital, where she would pass away the next day.
Two recipients are chosen annually for the Justin ’97 and Nicolle O’Keefe Insurance Scholarship by SCSU’s Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. The scholarship is available at a time when Justin said the insurance industry is facing its fair share of challenges. “We’ve gone through a lot of different challenges over the last 25 years, but currently the largest challenge we face is not dissimilar to the whole world, and that’s the challenge of climate change,” he said. “Our job is to mathematically try to predict probabilities of certain events happening and the resulting damage that has on communities and structures, such as homes on the coast of Florida.” It’s those kinds of challenges the O’Keefes hope an SCSU education will prepare prospective insurance graduates for, and the scholarship is their own way of ensuring that happens.
Nearly a year ago, the lives of the Holmes family changed forever.
“She was very, very smart and very, very diligent,” he said in a July interview. “She was the combination of the smartest and the hardest-working person I knew, which is such a rare thing.” Carrie’s mother died of cancer when Carrie was 17, and Sean said that played a major part in her decision to pursue a career in medicine. “There was always this strong sense of mission,” he said. Carrie started her own family practice because the town they were living in at the time only had two other practices. Eventually she would sell her practice and go to work for the MercyOne health system in Iowa, and re-certify in menopause and women’s sexual health.
along with many family members, friends and colleagues, came up with the idea of the Dr. Carrie Holmes MCAT Grant. The grant is meant to help pay for an expensive test needed to get into medical school, and Sean said the fund is dedicated to people who have the academic fortitude to get into med school, but face possible financial hurdles. It’s also a way to help people, a cause to which Carrie — a first-generation college student — dedicated her life’s work.
An event took place Thursday, Sept. 30 inside Eastman Hall to recognize the grant and publicly introduce the inaugural recipients, Alec Hafferman ’20 and George Ongoro ’21.
“She always felt that people help you along the way, so then you help some more people when you’re able,” Sean said. “She would have helped people for at least another 10 or 20 years through her work. So this is a way for her to keep doing that.”
“If this helps two people a year become a doctor, those people will then help people for another 40 years,” he said. “The geometric progression of it can be huge. You’re not just helping one person — you could do a lot.”
While Holmes said Carrie, an introvert, would have hated the “fuss” people were making over her, he felt she would be proud an effort to help others had been dedicated in her name. It’s his hope to continue to grow the fund in Carrie’s name to help as many people as possible.
When Sean was hired as SCSU’s head men’s soccer coach in February 2020, Carrie would start with the University that following fall semester. While he said not many people got to meet Carrie on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic pushing classes online, Sean feels many have gotten to know her through their story and through the grant that has been set up in her memory. In the days following Carrie’s death, Sean and their three sons
ACADEMIC DISTINCTION
To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 2020-2021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
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THANK YOU, SCHOLARSHIP DONORS!
THANK YOU, SCHOLARSHIP DONORS! BECAUSE OF YOU, IN 2020-21
$3.1 MILLION
1,012 SCSU STUDENTS
$1.29 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS
RAISED FOR THE FUTURE
A 2% INCR…AS… OV…R LAST Y…AR
AN 11.2% INCR…AS… OV…R LAST Y…AR
A 158.3% INCR…AS… OV…R LAST Y…AR
WERE AWARDED
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PROFESSOR CHARLES D. NELSON GIFTS $750,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
“St. Cloud was at the top of my list,” he said. “With the help of athletic scholarships and summer work-study jobs, I was able to pay for most of my education without going into debt. I wanted to pay it back to St. Cloud while honoring my father and mother, who worked so hard to get us educated, by creating a baseball scholarship in their name.”
“I would like to thank you so much for your generosity! This scholarship is going to help me immensely on my journey to becoming an occupational therapist. Whitney Hanson ’22 psychology and pre-occupational therapy Recipient of the Strive Thrive Succeed Scholarship
“These scholarships can give any student the opportunity to pursue any career that they want.”
Gianna Njau ’23 broadcast journalism and African-American studies Recipient of the Myers Family Scholarship and Carol Loberg Fourth Cavalry Association Scholarship
“With these scholarships, I was able to volunteer more in the community and campus and tutor more student athletes and multicultural students.” Alec Hafferman ’21 biomedical sciences Recipient of biology and chemistry scholarships, as well as the Vernie McDonald Ambassadors Scholarship
5 To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 2020-2021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
GIVING BACK IS A FAMILY ENDEAVOR: GLATZMAIERS HONOR THEIR PARENTS WHILE HELPING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS CREATE FAMILY LEGACY
Providing philanthropic support for St. Cloud State University is a family affair for the Glatzmaiers. A gift of $750,000 Chaitfrom the estate of long time St. Cloud State Professor Charles D. Nelson has endowed a significant and strategically important scholarship fund which has the goal of supporting student retention in the College of Science and Engineering. Dr. Nelson, who received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, was a long-time faculty member in the department of Earth and Atmospheric Science and was beloved by students and fellow faculty alike. “Student retention is a critical issue for St. Cloud State and especially important in our goal of graduating more students with STEM degrees as we step up to meet the demand from Minnesota’s employers” said Dan Gregory, Provost. It was Dr. Nelson’s love of his students which compelled him to prioritize St. Cloud State in his estate plans and to leave an extraordinary legacy, where he taught for over 20 years. For more information on how to leave a legacy at St. Cloud State, please contact Josh Lease at jmlease@ stcloudstate.edu.
Jim Glatzmaier grew up in Albany, Minnesota, as one of 10 children. Neither of his parents attended high school, but they wanted a better life for their kids and emphasized the importance of education. Ultimately, their children gave them more than enough reason to be proud. Six of the Glatzmaiers, including Jim, graduated from St. Cloud State with bachelor’s degrees, and another one received a two-year degree. Jim and his brothers, Dick and Joe, all played baseball at the university. By the time Jim, a 1975 graduate in mathematics and economics, had settled into his career — the majority of which was spent at Travelers Insurance Company — he wanted to start giving back to those who set him on the path to success.
In addition, Jim’s brother, Jerry, passed away in late 2020 and included St. Cloud State University Foundation in his will. His gift was used to establish scholarships for students in math and economics. When asked why he and his family place an importance on giving back to St. Cloud, Jim responded, “I think most of it came from the hard work of our parents and how they valued education. We’re hoping that the baseball scholarship and Jerry’s gift will allow students in need to complete their education without too much debt and make a positive contribution to society.” You can help change the lives of St. Cloud students by including a gift in your will or estate plan. Contact Josh Lease at (320) 308-4970 or jmlease@stcloudstate.edu to learn more.
FORMER PROFESSOR SHERMAN ROSER GIVES BACK TO STUDENTS WITH ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS Sherman Roser’s journey to St. Cloud State University was unplanned, but he is extraordinarily grateful to have first arrived at the university in the 1970s. While finishing up his schooling at Nebraska, Roser was introduced to St. Cloud State and started to explore the possibility of moving to Central Minnesota to teach at the university. Once he interviewed for a job within the Herberger Business School, Roser couldn’t find a reason why he wouldn’t want to move to St. Cloud and be a part of St. Cloud State. “After I graduated, I moved to St. Cloud. As I began to teach at St. Cloud State, it was a total enjoyment. I was able to teach and apply principles of management and watch people grow. It was just a natural affinity to be at St. Cloud State. It was a dream come true to be there.”
Dedication to giving back While working at St. Cloud State from 1979 until he retired around 1998, Roser took great pride in helping students take a next step in their lives and careers — both inside and outside of the classroom. “What teaching is all about is being able to help someone and let them excel in both school and life,” Roser said. That enjoyment and pride has resulted
in Roser continuing to give back to the university in many ways, including a pair of endowed scholarships to assist future generations going through their schooling. The first scholarship Roser established was in honor of his late son, Drew, who tragically passed away when he was 26 years old. The second scholarship honors the memory of his late wife, Victoria, and him. Both scholarships are aimed to help students, especially within the business school. “Hopefully, the scholarship will allow students to blossom and grow and go out into the world to make a difference. To see young people grow, that’s incredibly rewarding and you can’t put a price tag on that.”
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$31.6 MILLION OR 99% OF GOAL RAISED * *as of press time
campus and tutor more student athletes and multicultural students,” said Alec Hafferman ’21, who received chemistry and biology scholarships as well as the Vernie McDonald Ambassadors Scholarship. Hafferman completed his degree in biomedical sciences and is currently applying to medical school. “These scholarships can give any student the opportunity to pursue any career that they want,” said Gianna Njau, a recipient of the Myers Family Scholarship who is studying broadcast journalism as well as African American studies.
SCSU’S FIRST CAMPAIGN IN OVER 20 YEARS LOOKS TO ‘UNLEASH THE FUTURE’ “Unleash the Future: The Campaign for St. Cloud State University” was publicly announced to an enthusiastic crowd of faculty, staff, alumni and donors on April 27 at Ritsche Auditorium. The fundraising effort aims to raise $32 million to help support SCSU in its goal of remaking itself as a new university. The Comprehensive Campaign, St. Cloud State’s first in 20 years, has already raised $31.6 million or 99% of its goal as of press time. The campaign is focused on the initiatives that will drive academic distinction, support the development of teacher-scholars, create student success and expand the university’s regional reach and community engagement.
Scholarships, technology, faculty and staff development, interdisciplinary research, program innovation, an endowed speaker series and upgrades to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center are among the areas for which St. Cloud State — through the SCSU Foundation — is raising philanthropic support. Facilities improvements including new nursing simulation labs in the Maciej Nursing Education Suite, the Swenson Financial Markets Lab and the Nelson Strength and Conditioning Center are recent campaign successes. “It’s time to recognize, celebrate and build upon St. Cloud State’s institutional
Continuing success
innovation, forward-thinking research, advancements in teaching and overall academic excellence as we identify new ways to serve the students of today and in the years to come,” said SCSU President Dr. Robbyn Wacker.
The story of St. Cloud State has always been a tale of transformation. For over 150 years, chapter after chapter recounts the ability of its students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters to adapt and innovate in the face of challenging circumstances. From normal school to teachers college to accredited university, SCSU has reinvented itself decade by decade — and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
Scholarships Engaging students has always been one of the core goals for the “Unleash the Future” campaign. While the campaign initially started out with the goal to raise $9 million in scholarships for St. Cloud State students, that target amount has long since been surpassed and was currently at $15.1 million — 169% of the initial goal — as of press time. Scholarships
help students not only continue their education, but give back to their community and open up other opportunities as well. “With these scholarships, I was able to volunteer more in the community and
not only designed to address the university’s immediate needs, but as importantly, it signals a change in the philanthropic culture at St. Cloud State. In the future, philanthropy will become an increasingly important part of living into our vision.”
Jim ’73 and Ann Marie Maciej Nursing …ducation Suite
“The ‘Unleash the Future’ campaign is perfectly suited to support the important work our campus is doing to ensure student success,” President Wacker said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to our donors who have stepped up and shown how much they value our mission and want to see St. Cloud State be successful in this next phase of its service to our students and the community.” More information about the “Unleash the Future” campaign can be found at unleashthefuture. stcloudstate.edu. Those looking to donate can contact University Advancement via the campaign website, by calling 320-308-3984, or by mail to University Advancement, 720 4th Ave. South, St. Cloud, MN 56301.
Ron ’69 and Bonnie ’68 Swenson Financial Markets Lab
“I think we’re in an extraordinary moment in time where our donors have the opportunity to play a significant role in shaping the future of their alma mater,” said Matt Andrew, Vice President of University Advancement. “This campaign is
7 To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 2020-2021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
8 Grant ’63 and Carol Nelson Strength & Conditioning Center
COUPLE LOOKS TO SUPPORT STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH WITH MAJOR GIFT TO UNIVERSITY One couple has spent decades involved with St. Cloud State University, and has made a gift that will continue their legacy for generations to come. Art and Barb Grachek have made a $250,000 gift to SCSU to create the Art ’62 ’64 and Barb ’62 ’63 Grachek Mental Health & Wellness Lounge in honor of their parents, Stephen and Alvina Grachek and Melvin and Anna Svela. The gift comes after decades of the couple supporting the University in numerous ways — from scholarships in their communication studies department, to supporting athletics and the development of Husky Plaza, and beyond. Education is important to both Art and Barb Grachek, and is a value instilled in them from a young age. “I came from a family and a community environment in which opportunity for education and, quite frankly, valuing of education probably wasn’t that great,” Art said. “It was sort of a miracle for me to be able to go to college.” He was only one of 11 students in his 92-student high school class that went on to college. His parents, having lived through the Great Depression and World War II, both had less than a sixth-grade education. Nevertheless, when Art went to St. Cloud State, they supplied him with “unconditional support.” When Art, who lived off campus, would go home on weekends to do his laundry and see his family, they’d always send him back with a $5 or $10 bill — enough to feed him for a week “in those days” — and a tank full of gas in his car thanks to his dad’s service station. “There was this kind of an assumption that, ‘Yes, you will go to
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“Going to school, this kind of gave us a reason to stay in school and to become more involved and to do things. To this day, so many of our friends are what we call ’The Ol’ Newman-ites,’” Art added. “So, through those kinds of things, St. Cloud State really helped me to move forward — certainly prepared me then to go on to get my master’s and then my PhD, and enjoy a career in education.”
college,’ and secondly, ‘We will support you,’” Art said. Neither of Barb’s parents had graduated from eighth grade, but they still encouraged their children to go to school and helped them apply. “It was assumed that we would probably go to school,” Barb said. “I didn’t have any money, but my mom said ‘We’ll make it somehow.’” Barb worked different jobs at SCSU while in school, from clerical positions to dorm assistant, and her mother would also mail her $5 or $10. When she finished her bachelor’s degree and was encouraged by the University to pursue her master’s, Barb was unsure at first. “I thought, ‘I can’t do that,’” she said. “And again, Mom came to the front and said, ‘You’re going to school.’ So, I went to school.” That push to obtain as well as value an education would last throughout the couple’s entire professional lives. Both Art and Barb would go on to teach for decades — many of them spent at St. Cloud State, and their daughters would graduate from SCSU as well. They both credited student organizations and activities with helping them achieve success — as well as helping them find each other. The couple met through the Newman Club, a Catholic student organization during their time on campus. “I suppose we can say without Newman we wouldn’t have met,” Barb said.
While the Gracheks have routinely given back to their alma mater over the years, the push to support student mental health started a few years back. CentraCare, another entity the couple is involved with, held a drive for major expansion, during which the Gracheks became involved with the mental health area. Later on, after seeing the renovations in Eastman Hall and meeting with SCSU School of Health and Human Services Dean Shonda Craft, the Gracheks decided students needed to have mental health considerations made as well. Craft cited the COVID-19 pandemic along with nationally and globally discussed racism and civic unrest as just some of the hurdles students face right now. “We know our students are going through a lot,” she said. “Mental health has never been more important for our students.” “I think it’s an area where people don’t immediately jump in to help, even with your insurance agencies,” Barb said. “I mean, that’s not on top of the list of taking care of people in this world. So, you go to help those who are in need.” Craft said the goal is for students to see Eastman Hall as a “center for wellness” that has services for physical, mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. She said the Gracheks’ gift will go toward promotional materials, professional development to train more faculty and staff in evidence-based practices, and will benefit clinical mental health programs as well as other SHHS programs. “(Art and Barb) are really investing in the future of our students, right now,” Craft said. “I could not have imagined a better gift than this.” To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 20202021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
FAMILY VALUES, TEAM EXPERIENCE INSPIRE ALUMNUS TO SUPPORT HOCKEY PROGRAM
For Brooks Bertsch ’15, the decision to support his alma mater has always been an easy one. “SCSU and the hockey program had a big impact on me,” he said. Bertsch and his wife, Amy, have continuously supported St. Cloud State University’s men’s hockey program — a program with personal ties for Bertsch. After being recruited, he played for the Huskies from 201115 while majoring in finance. Following graduation, he joined the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League as a video coach. From Iowa he then went to California, starting as an assistant video coach with the LA Kings of the National Hockey League before moving into the scouting staff. During his five years with the Kings, Bertsch scouted NCAA and other college prospects as well as amateurs and college free agents. Bertsch stepped away from professional hockey this year, deciding to focus more on a career in finance and looking to spend more time with his family — especially since he and his wife were awaiting the birth of their first child in October 2021 as of press time. They now live in Eden Prairie with their dog, Cooper. Bertsch said the transition to focusing on a career in finance — specifically wealth management and multigenerational wealth planning — is multi-faceted due to his
education and growing up in a pro-business household. His upbringing has also played a major part in the couple deciding to support SCSU. “It’s some of the values I’ve been raised on,” Bertsch said. “Philanthropy is a big part of our family.” The hockey program is particularly special to Bertsch. His former teammate and roommate Nick Oliver, now an assistant coach with SCSU men’s hockey, has remained a close friend of Bertsch’s and was a part of his wedding. Bertsch also credits his time at the university with giving him a foundation to build on for both his career in hockey and his burgeoning career in finance. It has been the couple’s intent to provide the hockey program with resources to continue to compete at the highest level and maintain the success it has had the past decade. Bertsch entrusts head Huskies coach Brett Larson with that mission, and said Larson is “awesome for the program and exactly what the program needs at this time.” For Bertsch, the goal is for student-athletes to benefit from the same positive experiences he had at St. Cloud State. “Giving back is important to us,” he said. “You certainly don’t get to where you are without help from family, friends, coaches — you don’t achieve really important things by yourself.”
ANDERSON TRUCKING HELPS HUSKIES HOCKEY UNLEASH THE FUTURE Athletics is often referred to as the “front porch” of St. Cloud State and Huskies Hockey as the “light” on the front porch. Following the momentum from last spring’s national runner-up finish, Anderson Trucking, a long-time supporter of Huskies Hockey, has once again invested in improving the in-game experience for fans attending the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The Herb Brooks National Hockey Center is a major venue for St. Cloud State’s community engagement, and one of the priorities of the Unleash the Future campaign is to upgrade the facility’s sound/acoustics and digital scoreboards. “We understand that Huskies Hockey is important to Central Minnesota, SCSU alumni and students and we felt that making a significant gift was important to demonstrate to other philanthropic investors that the program’s on the right track and something we should all get behind” according to Scott Anderson, who holds an MBA from SCSU and is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Anderson Trucking. Interested in making a significant gift to help finish this project? Please contact University Advancement at (320) 308-3984.
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INAUGURAL MCAT GRANT RECIPIENT ASPIRES TO BECOME A DOCTOR, HELP MEDICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES George Ongoro has had more than a lifetime’s worth of experiences for only being 23 years old. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Ongoro and his family had to flee their home when he was a child — and had to leave his father behind. “Life was hard over there,” he said, with not enough food, water or medical care to go around. The family went to northern Kenya, where they stayed in a refugee camp for about a year and a half. While in the camp, Ongoro’s younger twin brothers both came down with cholera. He said there was only one doctor in the camp, and not nearly enough medicine or medical care in general. It was then that Ongoro decided to dedicate his life to helping others, and he wanted to do that through pursuing medicine. “What really sparked my passion for going into the medical field was when my two brothers got sick. Other people in my community were getting sick, and there wasn’t anywhere they could go for proper care. It made me want to heal people,” he said. “I wanted to be the one to heal my brothers because I could see how much they were suffering at the time.” His brothers recovered, and by the time Ongoro was 8 the family had the opportunity to come to the U.S. as refugees. They would eventually settle in St. Paul. “Life was hard over here because of the language barrier. And also because my parents have not gone to school,” he said. “I had to really step up.” Ongoro would be the one to make sure his family was going to doctor appointments and would translate his siblings’ school forms for for his parents. At the age of 17, Ongoro joined the U.S. Army. “I wanted to serve others,” he said.
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As he was a minor, he had to have his mother’s permission — something that was a tough sell at the time. “In America, the military is this group that’s respected — that’s there for their people, that would give anything for their country and respects other people,” Ongoro said. “But, in my country, it’s the complete opposite. The military abuses people — they’re not really there for the people.” Through talking about the differences with his mother and introducing her to a friend of his in the service, she eventually understood and allowed Ongoro to enlist. He joined the Army as a medic, and said his goal was to help people in medically disadvantaged communities through his service. In the years since, his family has come around to the idea of both his military as well as his medical service. “They support me in any way that they can by motivating me, telling me that I can do anything that I want in this country,” Ongoro said. “I have an opportunity to be whoever I want.” It was during his military service that Ongoro would
decide to start pursuing an education in the medical field, eventually enrolling at St. Cloud State University. He said his commander has been good about working with him on balancing both school and service, but with the understanding that if Ongoro was called up, the Army would have to take precedence. There were times Ongoro had to complete his courses online, like when he was deployed on joint missions to Bulgaria and Lithuania in different years. Then in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he was once again deployed to other parts of the region and the country to help — supplying masks and distributing vaccines in different locations. Ongoro also spent time at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to work on a team studying post traumatic stress disorder. The team was looking at identifying different biotypes or variants of PTSD in the hopes of being able to diagnose and treat the disorder more effectively. “You see a lot of soldiers who have given up a lot for their country and for their families as well. And sometimes when
they come back to the U.S., they’re misdiagnosed or they’re not treated properly because PTSD has a lot of variants,” Ongoro said. “It’s not the same for everyone. So treating it comes with difficulty as well.” In spring 2021, Ongoro graduated with a degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in military sciences. He is now juggling the Army as well as applying and interviewing for medical school. In August Ongoro found out he was one of the two inaugural recipients of the Dr. Carrie Holmes MCAT Grant — a grant created in memory of Holmes, who passed away in 2020 while working as a physician in the St. Cloud State Medical Clinic. Ongoro said he was “very honored” to be selected for the grant. “The path to medical school is hard, and to be honest, it’s expensive as well. Hearing I was awarded this, I’m just grateful for someone being so caring to support my path to medicine,” he said. “It just makes it more worth it that, in the future, as I continue my path to medicine, I’ll be helping others. I will not only be helping patients, but I will also be able to pay it forward to others who are interested in medicine.”
To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 2020-2021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
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ST. CLOUD STATE ALUMNUS STAYS INVOLVED WITH ALMA MATER
SCSU ALUMNI TAKE PART IN ‘UNLEASH THE FUTURE’ CAMPAIGN
St. Cloud State University alumnus Dominic Turpin said his education has played a significant role in his professional success. Turpin earned his MBA from St. Cloud State. After working in a leadership role as Director of Finance for UnitedHealth Group, he is now in an executive role as Assistant Vice President of Finance at Quartz Health Solutions. “There was significant career advancement after receiving my MBA,” he said. “I view my MBA as a seminal event in the arc of my career.” Since graduating from St. Cloud, Turpin has presented keynote addresses for different MBA cohorts from SCSU, and has been a St. Cloud State Foundation Board of Trustees member since 2013. “I’ve made a significant commitment to St. Cloud State,” he said. “I want others to get the same career boost and chance to join leadership that I received.”
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Jeff ‘81 ‘87 ‘95 & Julie Wood
Bret Hedican ’21 — Alamo, California
St. Cloud State is a powerful engine for improvement.
I give back to St. Cloud State University to pay it forward to the next generation, to the next kid like me who only needs a chance or an opportunity to be able to run with.
We gave to the gerontology graduate program when my mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. We gave to men’s Huskies hockey as the program ascended into the top tier of college hockey. We gave to the Huskies Food Pantry when students were suffering from food insecurity.
Through St. Cloud State, we are difference-makers. And that feels good.
Opportunity is just a word, unless you take that opportunity and make something out of it.
Drs. Heidi Everett ’92 ’94 and Emil Towner ’96 ’04
Bill Hyers ‘01 — New York City
SCSU prepared us for exhilarating careers in corporate communications and for civic engagement as a result of coursework, student organizations and other opportunities.
When I was honorably discharged from the Army, I was looking for what to do next in my life. SCSU provided me with a place to learn, grow, and become an active political participant.
Our hope is to inspire others to pursue a career field that is ever-changing, never dull, and increasingly important.
I have been blessed in my career and want to help people who are trying to decide if they, too, can go into politics and succeed.
To review a complete listing of the SCSU Foundation’s 2020-2021 donors, please visit www.scsu.mn/scsuimpactreport
WRESTLING – 2021 NCAA DII NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
MEN’S HOCKEY – 2021 NCAA DI NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP
DANCE – 2021 UDA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
720 4th Ave South St. Cloud, MN 56301 1-866-464-8759 320-308-3984 foundation@stcloudstate.edu stcloudstate.edu
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