“ It ’ s a forum for leadership and professional development that ’ s designed to inspire and extend women ’ s leadership effectiveness today and career aspirations for tomorrow ,” says Brent Opall , one of the organizers of the conference . r Learn more at giving . umn . edu / faststart
RECENT GIFTS
Featured Members
Phil and Gail Minerich
PHOTOS : COURTESY EINO LATVALA ( LFT UPPER ), COURTESY JOHN AND HELENBETH REYNOLDS ( LFT LOWER ), COURTESY COLLEGE OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES ( RT UPPER ), COURTESY PHIL AND GAIL MINERICH ( FAR RT )
It ’ s Only Natural
To those who knew him , park naturalist Ben Thoma , ‘ 55 B . S ., was the voice of Itasca State Park ’ s 32,000 acres . “ My husband first visited Itasca in 1955 as a summer session student at the U ’ s Itasca field station ,” says Louise Thoma , ’ 66 B . S . “ He washed dishes in the dining hall to pay for the program .”
In 1957 , a grant allowed him to return for another summer session . The couple moved to Itasca in 1959 , where Ben served as a park naturalist in the summer months until 2003 . He also
Inspired to Lead taught biological sciences at Wilmar Community College .
In honor of Ben , who died in 2011 , Louise recently made a gift of $ 76,000 to the U . Funds will be split between the Ben Thoma Collection , a unique display of natural wonders at the new Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories building , and the Ben Thoma Scholarship at Itasca . “ Ben received a scholarship and wanted to provide for others ,” says Louise . “ Education was important to him .”
When Phil , ‘ M . S . ’ 90 , Ph . D . ’ 02 , and Gail Minerich , ’ 00 M . A ., learned that U of M students graduate with $ 29,000 in student-loan debt , on average , they wanted to do something to help .
Early in their marriage , the Mineriches lived on a tight budget , with Phil starting his career at Hormel Foods Corp . in Austin , Minnesota , and Gail teaching special education . Eventually , with two young children at home , Phil went back to school to get his master ’ s degree in food science , driving 100 miles several nights a week to attend classes at the U .
To help other students pursue their educational dreams , the Mineriches considered giving to an existing fund in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition . However , after hearing about the new Fast Start 4 Impact
program , in which their $ 100,000 gift to establish the Phil and Gail Minerich Fellowship will receive an additional $ 20,000 over four years for student support , they decided to take advantage of this opportunity .
“ We hope our fellowship will encourage a student to graduate debtfree ,” says Phil Minerich . “ More importantly , as they begin their careers , we hope they , in turn , support the next generation of students as fellow alumni .”
The Carlson School of Management ( CSOM ) has had a long-standing commitment to providing women in business with opportunities to learn , network , and advance in their careers .
Thanks to a recent $ 47,000 gift from State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co ., part of which supports the Advancing Women in Business Fund , businesswomen in the Twin Cities will continue to find inspiration and make new connections at the annual Women ’ s Leadership Conference . This year ’ s conference , held on April 26 , featured inspiring speakers such as Cheryl Reeve , head coach of the Minnesota Lynx .
“ It ’ s a forum for leadership and professional development that ’ s designed to inspire and extend women ’ s leadership effectiveness today and career aspirations for tomorrow ,” says Brent Opall , one of the organizers of the conference . r Learn more at giving . umn . edu / faststart
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