| Last
December the MSU College of Business received a $3 million
gift, which it used to establish an endowment that will
fund a new center for undergraduate business studies."The
Gary K. Bracken Endowment for Excellence in Undergraduate
Business Education represents the next level of achievement
for the accredited and highly successful undergraduate
program in the College of Business," said Rich Semenik,
dean of the college. |
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| These
students are the first to receive the Bracken International
Study Fellowships. Each student will further her
international knowledge by studying in a foreign
country. Pictured (L to R) are Anna L. Dallner,
who will study in Australia, Andrea M. LaBore, who
will study in Costa Rica, faculty presenter Susan
Dana and Danielle S. Smith, who will study in Mexico. |
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| Gary
K. Bracken, a 1961 graduate of the college, was a former
Sidney resident and a longtime friend and supporter of the College
of Business. He passed away in April of 2001. |
| Semenik
said the endowment ensures a lasting impact for the College
of Business student programs. "The gift will not only impact
today's students and faculty, but also will continue to serve
students' needs for generations to come." |
| Bracken
was known as a visionary with respect to the college's efforts
to emphasize undergraduate education, excellence in teaching
and strong faculty supported learning experiences for students.
|
| "Gary shared
our vision of creating a nationally recognized undergraduate
business program here at MSU," Semenik added. "This gift from
his friends and family allows us to build on the exceptionally
strong features of our undergraduate program and create a truly
extraordinary undergraduate learning experience." |
| "We can
now add executive mentoring programs, new scholarships, travel
abroad fellowships and career counseling services to the outstanding
programs we already have in place." |
| "One of
the things we are most excited about with respect to this gift
is that since we have no old bills to pay or deficits to cover,
every dollar will be going into student programs," Semenik said.
"We are proud of our position as the premier undergraduate business
program in Montana. This sort of funding allows us to build
on that strength." |
| After Bracken
graduated from MSU with a degree in accounting, he worked for
the accounting firm of KPMG in Billings. Later he joined a small
start-up company and subsequently retired as executive vice
president and controller of one of the largest cable media companies
in the United States. |
| "Gary is
an example of what MSU and the College of Business is all about,"
Semenik said. "He came from a small town in rural Montana and
received a great education that prepared him for a future in
accounting and business. The community and MSU had a positive
impact on his life that he never forgot." Bracken had a longtime
relationship with the College of Business and was a member of
the college's national board of advisors. Through his family
and friends, he was able to give back to the institution that
prepared him for a successful future. |
| The gift
had an immediate impact on several business students. At the
April 23 scholarship banquet, three students received the Bracken
International Study Fellowship and six were awarded the Bracken
Student Scholar scholarship. |
| This fall,
two more students will be given the Bracken Student Scholar
scholarship. An example of how one student used her fellowship
is Andrea LaBore, Sr. of Bismarck, N.D. Labore is studying this
summer in Costa Rica. She had a month of intensive Spanish courses
at Conversa, a language school in the greater San Jose area
in Costa Rica. She earned six college credits to complete the
MSU Spanish non-teaching minor. While in Costa Rica, she will
also do research for her honors thesis for the MSU Honors Program.
She plans to interview professors at several of Costa Rica's
universities and gather information on the political, cultural
and economic history of the country. |
| "I am hoping
to create and conduct a survey in order to gather information
directly from those who have spent several years here participating
in the culture, politics and certainly the economy. This will
help me get a better perspective on how the dramatic changes
over the course of the past decade have indeed affected the
people of this amazing country," LaBore wrote from Costa Rica. |
| The gift
was announced to the public at a special ceremony held at Reid
Hall on April 24. Members of the Bracken family attended the
scholarship banquet and the special event and were able to see
firsthand how the gift will have a long lasting benefit to students
and faculty as well as celebrate the occasion in a festive ceremony.
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| One million
dollars of the gift is for new endowed scholarships, adding
to the growing total of the Putting Students First Scholarship
Campaign (see Campaign update).
|
| For more
information about the Montana State University Foundation, visit
their website at www.montana.edu/foundation |
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