Lyle and Kathleen Kasprick
Lyle and Kathleen Kasprick Give UMC Million Dollar Gift
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) has received a gift commitment of $1 million for academic scholarships from Lyle and Kathleen Kasprick. This is the largest gift ever made to the Crookston campus.
Lyle Kasprick, who was raised on a farm near Angus and attended the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA Class of 1950) before it became UMC, said that he and his wife designated their gift for scholarships because “helping others is the right thing to do.”
Their gift was also motivated by letters they received from UMC students who received scholarships funded by an earlier gift of theirs. “The letters we’ve received from those kids make us feel that the world’s going to be all right, as long as we give these young people a fighting chance,” said Kasprick.
After graduating from the NWSA, Lyle Kasprick went on to complete a degree in business administration from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He worked in public accounting and later went into business for himself as a private investor. Kathleen graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. They reside in Orono, Minn., and have four adult children.
UMC Chancellor Don Sargeant extended much appreciation for the gift, saying "Students are a priority at UMC. These scholarships provide students with funds at a time when the cost of attending college continues to rise. The Kasprick scholarship gift is not only a great investment in students, it is a great investment in society."
The Kaspricks’ gift will count toward Campaign Minnesota, the University’s $1.3 billion fund-raising campaign that runs through June 2003. As of July 30, $1.365 billion has been raised across the U of M system.
With the Kaspricks’ gift, the total of gifts and pledges raised during Campaign Minnesota specifically designated for the UMC campus has now surpassed $6.4 million. The campaign goal for the Crookston campus was set at $5 million, and one year of Campaign Minnesota still remains. Fiscal year 2002 was a record year for fundraising for UMC, with a total of over $1.6 million recorded for the year.
Posted 08/01/2002
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435