2022-23 Fiscal Year Impact Report

Impact Report

An annual publication from the Office of University Advancement on the impact of philanthropy.

FISCAL YEAR 2022–23

(On the cover) Laura Halverson ’95 on the job site of a new construction project at University Research Park in Madison, WI. Halverson is serving as a design consultant on the project.

Your impact matters

Throughout the past seven years, I’ve been privileged to lead this institution and witness the transformative impact of philanthropy on our campus. In that time, MSOE has invested more than $100 million in campus developments, increasing the economic impact of the beautiful city our university resides in and most importantly enhancing the academic experiences for the students we serve.

All of this development, and more, has been driven almost exclusively by private philanthropy.

These incredible gifts from alumni, friends, partners in business, and foundations support the future of MSOE, and make a direct positive impact on the lives of our students and the work of our faculty and staff.

This annual report, from the Office of University Advancement, illustrates that strong commitment to the university and highlights the incredible impact these gifts have made in the recent fiscal year, ending June 30, 2023.

Thank you for your unwavering support of MSOE and our mission. I hope you enjoy a glimpse of how philanthropy to MSOE has helped advance our campus and continues to provide a pathway to success for the students who come here.

Sincerely,

John Y. Walz President

To view a list of all MSOE Donors for Fiscal Year 2022–23 visit msoe.edu/impact

Ona sunny project site in Madison, Wisconsin, equipped with a white hard hat and brown boots, alumna Laura Halverson ’95 is immersing herself in the design and detail behind the construction of Element Labs.

The new building being constructed by University Research Park is one of many projects the architectural engineering major has led in her role as Science and Technology Market Leader for Affiliated Engineers Inc.

“As a consultant specializing in the design of dynamic building systems for clients that are improving our world, it is consistently motivating to meet scientific researchers who are improving the health and wellness of our global community,” said Halverson.

The new building will address a nationwide shortage of laboratory space in the biosciences by leasing to individual scientific companies to do ground-breaking research for cancer, diabetes and viral infections like Covid-19. Halverson says getting the opportunity to design a building that supports this important work would not have happened without her degree from MSOE and support from those who made her education possible.

making a difference in the field that inspires you.

impact is ...

“Before attending MSOE, I was confident I wanted to be involved in the building construction industry as a structural engineer. However, MSOE enhanced my path by giving me exposure to the diversity of all systems that makeup a building.”

Coming from a low-income family, Halverson says the scholarships she received to attend MSOE were a key factor in her ability to finish college and have a professional career, and because of that she felt very passionate about making sure those experiences became accessible to future generations.

In 2021, Halverson set up the Gerrits Family Endowed Scholarship to support students majoring in an engineering field and who have a need for financial assistance. For first-generation college students like Milwaukee native Samira Perez, getting to attend college, especially one as prestigious as MSOE, has been a dream come true. This fall, Perez will receive support for the second

year from the Gerrits Family Endowed Scholarship as she enters her sophomore year as an architectural engineering major.

“My experience at MSOE has been amazing! I am looking forward to learning about designing structures but have an elevated interest for a structural or electrical specialty and have always loved contributing back to my community. What better way to accomplish this than by building, fixing and maintaining infrastructure as an architectural engineer,” said Perez.

A DE GREE TH AT HAS BROUGHT

FINANCIAL STABILITY AND CAREER

“In addition to myself, my two brothers also received degrees from MSOE in engineering and we’ve all found fruitful careers. This endowed scholarship is not a result of what I can give to MSOE, but what MSOE gave me—the ability to support the next generation of engineers who will improve their own lives and the lives of others.”

(Left) Laura Halverson ’95 and husband Chad with their scholarship recipient Samira Perez at the MSOE Scholarship Appreciation Dinner.

SUCCESS TO HALVERSON AND HER FAMILY.

empowering others who can help make a difference

impact is ...

When alumnus Mark Hale ’91 committed to supporting the Hermann Viets Tower residence hall project in 2018, he never imagined that his gift might lead to making an even bigger impact, and for a cause that is both personal and passionate to him.

Hale’s five-year pledge was also unique to MSOE at the time, as it was the very first gift to the university to come via Bitcoin.

In 2022, when MSOE learned the value of Hale’s bitcoin had increased from his original gift, Vice President of University Advancement Jeff Snow worked with him to align that extra support with areas on campus he cared about.

It was at that moment Hale revealed a desire to help MSOE students struggling with mental health.

A cause that hit very deeply for his family.

In spring of 2021 Mark's nephew Kyle took his own life just as the college senior was preparing to graduate. Hale said Kyle never once showed signs of wanting to end his life.

Hale’s sister, who had always been very active in supporting others, inspired him to use his family’s untimely tragedy as a catalyst to help MSOE students who may also be struggling.

“Kyle was the perfect son. His parents were very active in supporting his education and extra curriculars, so he did well in school. Yet nobody knew, not even his own friends. I wanted to be able to apply this money toward helping make a difference for students, especially those like Kyle who you don’t know may need it. The silent ones,” said Hale.

MSOE currently has one consulting psychologist, and three full-time therapists on staff who support students during the academic year. With Hale’s gift, Kip Kussman, dean of students, is hoping to empower others in the campus community with the skills to recognize and address the warning signs that could prevent future tragedies.

MSOE Dean of Students Kip Kussman and Mark Hale discuss MSOE's counseling services.

“All of us, regardless of what department we work in, have a role in the well-being of our students,” said Kussman. “With Mark’s gift I want to teach our faculty and staff who are non-clinically trained in mental health to feel confident enough to talk to a student who may be struggling and then connect them to services that can help.”

This school year, Kussman, along with the counseling services staff will continue trainings around mental health first aid, suicide awareness and creating greater access to referral resources that would lead to a reduction in high-risk behaviors.

AS FOR HALE, HE’S THANKFUL TO BE CONNECTED TO A CAMPUS COMMUNITY WHO CARES ABOUT THEIR ALUMNI LONG AFTER THEY GRADUATE.

“MSOE is more than just a university, it’s a community. I’ve developed longstanding friendships with people who genuinely care about my well-being. Kyle’s passing made me think differently about how I give back. Being able to support mental health services for MSOE students allows me to honor his memory and pay it forward by helping others who really need it.”

Kyle enjoying cigars with his uncle Mark on a trip to visit him in California.

MSOE Philanthropic Milestones, Fiscal Year 2022–23

Alumni and friends help raise $122,833 for student scholarships at the REGENTS’ GOLF O UTING .

KENDALL BREUNIG CENTER FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Thanks to a generous gift from alumnus and Regent Kendall Breunig ’79, the Kendall Breunig Center for the Built Environment will be the future home of our Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management (CAECM) Department. Dr. Breunig gifted the building to MSOE and committed an additional $2 million toward the estimated $14 million to complete renovations.

GIVING TUESDAY — The MSOE campus community raised $17,280 in 24 hours to support the Student Veterans Organization, Diversity & Inclusion, Health & Counseling Services and the Fund for MSOE on campus during this global day of giving.

PATRICIA E. KERN CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC —

MSOE announces plans to develop the Patricia E. Kern Conservatory of Music at 308 E. Juneau Ave. The building will be the new home to MSOE’s music programs. The facility was made possible through support from MSOE Regents Dr. Kathleen Ruehlow ’72 and Dr. Bob Hillis.

FACULTY AND STAFF CAMPAIGN — Over 54% of MSOE faculty and staff contribute to support students.

RAIDERS FIELD DEDICATION On May 6, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, alumni, friends and MSOE families help dedicate Raiders Field. The new home for MSOE’s Softball Team was supported thanks to generous gifts from MSOE Regent Dr. Kathleen Ruehlow ’72, Regent Matthew ’99 and Jodi ’98 Burow, and Fiduciary Management Inc.

Alumni and friends help raise $126,068 for student scholarships at MSOE’s PRESIDENT’S GOLF OUTING on June 12.

The Office of University Advancement total fundraising in Fiscal Year 2022–23 was $22.3 million, surpassing our goal by more than $9 million.

April 20 the university held its annual MSOE GIVING DAY , raising a historic $613,035 from 663 alumni and friends in just 24 hours.

SENIOR GIVING CAMPAIGN —

43 MSOE seniors supported the Raiders Today, Raiders for Life senior giving campaign, helping raise $2,625 for the university.

*Total fundraising equals cash gifts and documented pledges.

Financial Overview of Fiscal Year 2022–23

$22,358,322 TOTAL RAISED

$2,181,000

Total amount of new planned gift expectancies

2,672 NUMBER OF DONORS

49

6 No. of states represented in donor count No. of countries represented in donor count

Unrestricted — $907,116

Restricted — $6,725,543

of donors 1,450 Alumni

GIFTS RAISED BY AREA

450 Friends 248 Parents

226 Faculty & Staff

Capital — $12,200,198 (Property, buildings and equipment)

298 Corp. & Foundations

Other (including capital; non-area specific ) — $12,196,024

Endowed $2 ,525,465 Student A airs & Campus Inclusion $271,448

GIFTS RAISED — $5,000 AND ABOVE

SCHOLARSHIP STATS

In 2022–23, a combined total of

642 unique MSOE students received donor-funded scholarships.

$1,909,006 in Annual Scholarships from 69 different funds were awarded to 317 students from 22 states and 21 different majors.

GIFTS RAISED BY TYPE

$1,718,654 in Endowed Scholarships from 123 different funds were awarded to 265 students from 17 states and 21 different majors.

9 new annual scholarships were created.

enhancing the experience of how students learn.

impact is ...

MSOE is uniquely known for offering its students an education that provides hands-on experience. For students pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, that experience includes access to a state-of-theart lab few other universities can match thanks to support from corporations like Parker Hannifin.

In 2018, the Motion Control Laboratory underwent a complete system upgrade and facility renovation. The control systems and software were both upgraded thanks to a National Fluid Power Association Education and Technology Foundation Grant, the Otto Maha Endowment Fund, and equipment donations from industry partners ifm efector inc., Controlled Dynamics, Sun Hydraulics, Yaskawa, Thermal Transfer Products and Parker Hannifin.

In 2019, Parker Hannifin made an additional gift to name the lab. They renewed their gift for an additional three years in 2022. Support from the company helps maintain spaces used by more than 630 students each year as they explore fluid power and motion control through course work, senior design projects, and club activities.

(Above) Chandlar Armstrong ’19 mentors MSOE students at the 2023 Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge.

“The Parker Hannifin Motion Control Lab at MSOE ensures students gain hands-on experience and are trained on state-of-the-art equipment to prepare them for in-demand careers,” said Valencia Griffin, talent acquisition specialist at Parker Hannifin Corporation. “Our partnership with MSOE helps increase familiarity of our brand and paves the way for recruitment efforts. We are extremely pleased with the time and dedication the university has put into the lab and we look forward to being a valued partner with MSOE into the future.”

A lot of experiential learning took place inside the Parker Hannifin Motion Control Laboratory for mechanical engineering alumnus Chandlar Armstrong ’19, who said, “I used the lab for the Controls 1 & 2 classes in the ME curriculum. The lab was instrumental in helping visual learners like me better understand concepts taught in class.”

Dr. Dan Williams, associate professor, teaches courses in the lab and says upgrades are critical as modern advances in sensors and electronic controls have enabled fluid power systems to evolve. Students become more effective at what they do and more efficient in how they do it by using the laboratory and equipment.

“In the Motion Control Lab, students learn about the challenges involved in controlling a realistic fluid power system and the opportunities to overcome those challenges with state-of-the-art computer control,”

said Williams. “Few universities across the country have lab facilities like this, especially ones that are used exclusively by undergraduate engineering students.”

Currently all mechanical engineering students use the lab when they take the required senior level Automatic Control Systems course. Starting in fall 2023 with the switch to a new semester curriculum, there will also be a lab-based fluid power elective, giving students an opportunity to learn even more about fluid power.

As for Armstrong, he now works as a project engineer for IFP Motion Solutions Inc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “In my role I get to quote, design and make solutions to our customers’ problems. From the small scale of custom manifolds to the large scale of 2000+ HP whole plant power units,” he said.

“THE PARKER HANNIFIN MOTION CONTROL LAB WAS A CATALYST IN THE DIRECTION MY CAREER TOOK, AND I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE EXPERIENCES I HAD USING IT WHILE A STUDENT.”

was interested in computers at a very young age because of my father, who was on the early curve of VCRs and home computers.” That exposure to tech from Alan Durant instilled a passion in alumnus Dr. Eric Durant ’98 that would lead him down a fulfilling path at MSOE.

instilling a passion that will benefit future generations.

impact is ...

Durant grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsin and as he got older his interest in computers increased. He wanted to learn more about electronic product design and how to produce electronic/computer-based products. After hearing great things about MSOE from his godfather, a 1974 graduate, Durant enrolled as an electrical engineering major. He added a second major in business, then later switched to a second major in computer engineering with a minor in business.

Being a student in that field at the emergence of the information superhighway in the 1990s was especially cool. “I was involved with the early use of the internet at MSOE,” said Durant. Not only did Durant help with the maintenance of MSOE’s first website when it launched around early 1994, he played a role in moving the campus’s student newspaper Ingenium online.

After graduation Durant earned his master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and his Executive MBA at UW-Milwaukee. Today he is a professor and the director of the Master of Science in Machine Learning program at MSOE. “Our students are very enthusiastic to learn about their fields and to produce high quality work. They have a high intrinsic motivation that makes it a joy to work with them,” said Durant.

During the summer Durant also serves as a Senior DSP Research Engineer for Starkey Hearing Technologies in Minnesota, work that has helped him earn eight different U.S. patents related to improving hearing aid technology.

T HIS UNIQU E EXPERTISE AND HIS INFLUENCE INSIDE THE CLASSROOM HAVE ALSO MADE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE STUDENTS HE ADVISES.

“When I was on the edge about changing majors, Dr. Durant spent extra time guiding me through the difficult process,” said Virginia Conaty, sophomore computer engineering major. “Dr. Durant laid out a detailed plan allowing me to still graduate in four years and answered any questions I had about switching.”

Throughout his career, Durant’s exemplary work has been recognized by his peers as a recipient of numerous awards including STEM Forward Young Engineer of the Year, the Oscar Werwath Distinguished Teacher Award and an MSOE Alumni Achievement Award.

None of these personal and professional accolades would have been possible without the unwavering support of his family. “I came to see MSOE through the eyes of my parents—an example of how philanthropy gave their child the opportunity to pursue a rewarding career,” he said.

Because of that, Durant says having the ability to now pay that generosity forward is one of his proudest accomplishments. In 2009, his family established the Marilyn Durant Memorial Endowed Scholarship in memory of his late mother. Durant, his father Alan, and others made gifts to get the scholarship started—including $25,000 from Alan which was matched 100% by We Energies. Following Alan’s death in 2022, the scholarship was renamed the Alan and Marilyn Durant Memorial Endowed Scholarship to honor both of Durant’s parents.

Even more rewarding is Durant’s ability to witness the impact of his giving each time he steps into the classroom. “I want these students to become thought leaders and top contributors in their own fields, with MSOE giving them a jump start on that journey. Later, I hope that experience inspires them to give through their time and talents and to support the next generation that follows in their footsteps.”

Eric Durant ’98 poses with parents Marilyn and Alan Durant during the holidays.

Growing up Sara RS Miller ’86 never thought a career in engineering was a possibility for her; now today the MSOE Wall of Distinction member is paving the way for future females in her industry.

Miller started her career working in cheese manufacturing. After being assigned projects involving automation, she enrolled at MSOE to take engineering courses to enhance her skills. In 1986, she graduated with an Associate of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology and credits that degree for helping her flourish early on in her career.

“MSOE provided the learn-by-doing method that I needed to prepare for the inevitable change in technology, allowing me to embrace the new fields of machine control and automation,” said Miller.

creating a pathway of success for female engineers.

impact is ...

In November of 1991, Miller met alumnus Kenn Anderson ’72 at the installation ceremony for MSOE’s fourth president, Dr. Hermann Viets. At that time, Miller was operating Valley Controls Inc., her own PLC software company. “Kenn and I quickly learned we both worked in the same market but offered different complementary technical and management services,” said Miller. In 1995, the two co-founded NOVA Systems, a hands-on automation company.

Over the next couple decades, the Milwaukee-based company grew from a small two-person operation with a few customers to a thriving business with a customer base exceeding 250 businesses. In 2020, Miller sold the company and retired.

SINCE GRADUATION, MILLER HAS REMAINED ENGAGED WITH MSOE FOCUSING ON TWO OF HER FAVORITE THINGS: CONTINUALLY LEARNING AND HELPING OTHERS.

While she’s been philanthropically supporting the university since the late 1980s, she also lent her expertise as an instructor for MSOE. While still taking courses in the CET program, Miller taught economics, statistics and quality assurance courses through MSOE’s Continuing Education Department at SC Johnson in Racine, Wisconsin and at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. “I remember having two MSOE ID cards, one as an instructor/employee and one as a student,” she said.

Education has always been an important part of Miller’s philosophy in life. “My husband Howard and I have helped support our nieces and nephews and children of friends’ educations by gifting them laptops for their high school graduation, to help aid them in their future studies,” said Miller.

In the fall of 2022, Miller spoke at the dedication of MSOE’s Alumni Plaza and

announced plans to extend her philanthropic generosity by creating a student scholarship. This past spring the Sara RS Miller Scholarship Fund was established to support female students pursuing a career in the applications of factory automation. “I wanted to make sure other females are included in the exciting developments in automation that have enhanced my life,” said Miller. She commemorated that special moment with a personalized paver in University Terrace. It serves as both a reminder of all Miller’s been able to achieve because of MSOE, and a sign of inspiration for future generations who may one day walk in her footsteps. “I never thought about being an engineer when I was growing up. My hope is for future female engineers to see my name while considering MSOE and be encouraged that they too can become engineers and be successful.”