from the CEO

From the CEO

Wow!

What an exciting and emotional Homecoming we had this year. Not only did the football and hockey teams win on Homecoming Saturday, but the Sioux Awards Banquet was as inspiring as always, and we also celebrated the naming of the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA).

Werner, ’68, and Colleen Nistler are the generous lead donors for a new Nistler CoBPA building. Werner loves North Dakota and it was impossible not to get caught up in his heartful emotional response as students, faculty, staff and community members shared their appreciation with him and Colleen.

In my 30 years with this outstanding organization, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with many wonderful, successful, dedicated and loyal UND alumni and friends. Werner and Colleen are among the best of the best. In addition to their philanthropic spirit, they run a highly successful business with integrity and compassion for their employees and their clients, and they are two of the nicest and most humble people I’ve ever met. You can get a sense of who the Nistlers are by reading their story on p. 18.

In my State of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Address in August, I handed out capes with “UND Hero” written on them to those in the audience who had made contributions to improve the lives of UND students. As I discussed our record-setting fiscal year 2019, it was obvious that there

Fundraising for the new building has been a major focus of our organization this year and we have set an aggressive goal to have the entire $50 million in private funding (the state is contributing $20 million in matching funds) secured by June of 2020. I’m proud to report that as we approach the end of 2019, we have $17.8 million left to raise for this vital project.

Campus Construction

In the last issue, we gave you a taste of some of the major construction projects transforming the Grand Forks campus. University Avenue, the gateway to campus, now looks incredible. The Stone House will reopen this spring after a multi-million-dollar renovation (thanks to donors Hal and Dr. Kathy Gershman), and the Chester Fritz Library renovation is nearly finished. With a groundbreaking ceremony held for the new Memorial Union project during Homecoming, and the new Nistler CoBPA building breaking ground next fall, the transformation continues. It’s an exciting time at UND!

UND Heroes

In my State of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Address in August, I handed out capes with “UND Hero” written on them to those in the audience who had made contributions to improve the lives of UND students. As I discussed our record-setting fiscal year 2019, it was obvious that there are many who deserve to receive one of these capes. We had more than 9,000 donors, including 846 first-time donors, help us reach $67.7 million in FY19. At about the halfway point of the current fiscal year, I can report that I continue to be amazed by the generosity and affection our alumni and friends have for this University.

Thank you to all who give; you are UND heroes!

Sincerely,

DeAnna Carlson Zink, '86, CFRE UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO deannac@UNDfoundation.org