Colleges and universities commonly receive donations to establish endowments, often to fund professorships, scholarships or fellowships. And although Minnesota State University has benefited from such donations in the past, the most recent gift is eye-catching.
The Andreas family is giving $7.5 million to MSU's College of Arts and Humanities. The purpose of the endowment is to "promote student and faculty development in the College of Arts and Humanities and to bring to campus cultural events that enrich the Mankato community."
The gift is a boost to the different departments within the College of Arts and Humanities — art, English, mass communications, modern languages, music, philosophy, speech communications and theater and dance — because it will fund graduate assistantships and awards for faculty work and research.
Even more exciting for the area is the fact the endowment specifically outlines that some of the money is to be spent on events that enrich the Mankato community. That will come in the form of paying to bring in visiting guest artists and speakers. If that funding is spread fairly among the different departments, that could mean an amazing array of visitors coming to Mankato to share their talents and insights.
As outlined in the city's Envision 2020 long-term plan, Mankato is striving to strengthen the arts community and make arts an attraction to the area. The endowment with its public component is a prime opportunity to intertwine city and campus efforts to make some of those goals a reality. Local tourism officials should be working with campus officials to spread the word about the visiting artists and speakers. Thought should be given as to whether some of the events can be moved to locations off campus to reach a larger audience.
Lowell Andreas is the retired president of Archer Daniels Midland Co. and could have chosen to live anywhere in the world in his retirement. He and his now deceased wife, Nadine, a devoted fan of the arts, decided to support this community in many ways, including financially backing a part of education and culture that often takes a back seat to trendier subjects. Science and technology are certainly key areas for jobs and global competition, but the arts and humanities are about tapping what makes us human and ties us to that global community.
The university and community owe the Andreas family gratitude for their generosity and now have the responsibility of putting it to the best use possible.
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