ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC DISTINCTION

Ron ’69 and Bonnie ’68 Swenson Financial Markets Lab

Swenson Financial Markets Lab - Completed in 2019.

The creation of the Swenson Financial Markets Lab has given students the ability to research the latest financial events using cutting-edge software tools to help them bridge the gap between theory and practice. The Lab, complete with financial terminals and an electronic "ticker tape" display, has burnished the reputation of the Herberger Business School and created a level playing field with other universities that offer their students this resource. Students and faculty have access to up-to-the-minute financial information, as well as the latest analytic software for conducting financial research and making investment decisions. Such tools help make students "first-day ready" for employment in banking and financial services. A generous gift from Ron and Bonnie Swenson allowed for the naming of the Lab.

Program Innovation Fund

Innovation doesn't happen overnight. Revamping courses, retooling curricula, bringing new programs to market, and creating student experiences that improve engagement and retention takes time and resources. Planning and experimentation are required in order to launch new advising models or to map course outcomes that better align with careers and professions. Often, small financial investments deliver big rewards.

The fund will allow St. Cloud State to be more agile in its response, exploring new opportunities without shortchanging our existing classroom and program offerings.

University Speaker Series

Look for a special gift announcement in April 2022!

Outside perspectives often spur us to think differently or more deeply about our fixed habits and ideas, and visits from authors, artists, public policymakers, business leaders and other experts always enrich the campus-wide conversation at St. Cloud State. Recent appearances by thought leaders on the St. Cloud State campus have drawn large crowds and sparked healthy conversation on political, civic, and social topics.

Unlike many other institutions, St. Cloud State lacks an endowed speaker series. An ongoing speaker series would engage students, faculty, and staff and serve as a magnet for bringing the greater St. Cloud community to campus. A dedicated, endowed fund for speaker fees, travel, and related expenses would allow St. Cloud State to launch, promote, and shape an ongoing speaker series that would, if properly cultivated, elevate the reputation and status of the University in Minnesota and around the world.

College of Science and Engineering Strategic Endowment

The 2013 opening of the Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility expanded capacity for faculty and students in the College of Science and Engineering (COSE) to engage in such cutting-edge activities as rapid proto-typing, thermal imaging, and optics research. Furthermore, it allowed St. Cloud State to grow our programs in such important areas as material science and to launch new programs, such as software engineering. Building on the momentum of these advances is critical if COSE is to remain highly regarded for its science and engineering programming.

A significant philanthropic investment in COSE will help the University maintain, staff and grow its science and technology programs at a pace that would otherwise be impossible to achieve given current levels of state funding. In addition to investments in technology, support is needed for named chairs and professorships that can draw top talent, externships that allow faculty to spend time in industry and business, learning about new technologies and working alongside experts in the field, and initiatives that encourage students to collaborate with faculty on applied research and attend conferences in areas of innovation. In addition, we must grow scholarship support to attract and retain a diverse body of students, including women and traditionally underrepresented populations, in order to broaden innovation and perspectives in the fields of science and engineering.