The future of higher education in Minnesota will be the focus for U.S. Sen. Al Franken and former U.S. Congressman Tim Penny, special invited guests and speakers at the annual Truman and Reta Wood Scholarship Dinner Saturday, Oct. 9, at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
The fundraising social event, which begins with a silent auction and reception at 5 p.m. followed by the 5:45 p.m. dinner and program, will be held in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom during the University’s Homecoming Weekend.
Franken, a Democrat, has served in the Senate since 2008 and is a leading advocate for education issues, and a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He became Minnesota’s junior Senator after a career as a writer, performer and national political commentator, and is the author of five best-selling books.
Penny was a six-term Democratic Congressman from the 1st District after earlier serving in the Minnesota State Senate for six years. He ran for Governor of Minnesota in 2002 as an Independent. Also a leading advocate for educational issues, Penny is currently the President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute.
The Wood Scholarship Dinner honors the winners of the $4,000 awards, which are presented annually in honor of Truman Wood, a former professor of Political Science/Law Enforcement at Minnesota State Mankato, and Reta Wood, a longtime teacher in Mankato Area Public Schools. This year’s awards go to Ariel Klugman, Hopkins, Minn., and Lauren McConkey, St. Clair, Minn.
Upper-level students in either Political Science or International Relations who have a combined record of academic achievement and contributions to the community are presented with the awards, considered among Minnesota State Mankato’s most prestigious student honors.
Franken and Penny join a distinguished list of past speakers at the event, which has featured business, political, sports and community leaders, human and civil-rights advocates, a State Supreme Court justice, and media stars. The dinner is always one of the highlights of Homecoming Weekend.
Other Homecoming events Oct. 9 include the President’s free pancake breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m.; the Homecoming parade at 11:30 a.m.; the Mavericks football matchup with St. Cloud State at 1 p.m.; a Comedy show at 8 p.m.; and special alumni reunions for all pre-1960s graduates, the Ellis Street Singers, and the departments of Art, Music, and Theatre & Dance.
Tickets for the Wood Scholarship Dinner are $60 per person, $40 of which is a tax-deductible gift, and $20 for current Minnesota State Mankato students. Register online.
For more information about Homecoming events and activities go to the alumni page.
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