HISTORIC GIVING In November, Luther received a historic $10 million gift from Michael ’92 and Nicole Gerdin and the Gerdin Charitable Foundation. It’s the largest individual gift in the college’s 162-year history and will serve as the lead gift toward the renovation of the Regents Center, home to Norse athletics and Luther’s center for sports and recreation.
Rendering of the future Gerdin Fieldhouse
At Luther, Mike studied management and was a
at Luther with a $1.5 million gift in spring 2016 and
member of the Norse men’s basketball team. He started
provided a lead gift toward Legacy Field.
his career as a teenager at the company his father
“These gifts of support from our alumni show
founded, Heartland Express in North Liberty, Iowa,
remarkable confidence in the future of Luther
one of North America’s largest truckload transporta-
College,” says Luther President Jenifer K. Ward. “The
tion and logistics companies. He moved up the ranks
recent investments in Luther by our graduates are
to lead the company as chairman, president, and CEO.
symbolic of their journeys, and they call us toward
In recognition of this historic gift, the facility will
our future. Mike and Dennis came to Luther in differ-
be renamed the Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and
ent generations, but they both received a broad-based
Wellness. Among the highlights in the preliminary
education that grounded them in the ability to adapt
plans for the Gerdin Fieldhouse are an arena-style
and succeed. They share the same common thread of
venue, a new entrance space for the public, a team
hard work up through the ranks, building their compa-
meeting space, renovation of the locker rooms, and a
nies and careers, and now giving back so the next
new common area and study space.
generation can benefit from that same Luther
Also in November, Luther celebrated a $2 million gift from Dennis ’64 and Suzanne Birkestrand to
experience.” Rendering of the future Birkestrand Family Court
support renovations in the gymnasium of the Regents Center (soon, the Gerdin Fieldhouse). The gift ranks among the largest individual gifts to the college. In recognition, the facility’s court will be named the Birkestrand Family Court. As a student-athlete at Luther, Dennis played football and ran track. Dennis and Suzanne spent 22 years in marketing and sales with Maytag before eventually founding Factory Direct Appliance. They endowed the Birkestrand Economics and Management Chair After 28 hours of giving, 6,600 messages from student-athletes, and 1,560 gifts from donors, we raised $367,011 for Norse Athletics in the fourth annual One Team Day on November 16. Thank you for your generous support of the Norse!
WINTER 2024
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