Well over $30 million is being endowed to Dakota Wesleyan and the Mitchell School District — all to create a path from pre-K to college for the community.
In this prairie town, education just got a lot richer – literally and metaphorically.
That’s because, according to DWU communications director Julie Brookbank, the massive, transformative donation from Roger and Vicki Musick. The total gift amounts to $33 million.
“We want to continue to express our gratitude to Roger and Vicki for all they have done and all they will continue to do," Brookbank said. "We will be particularly interested with working with students from the Mitchell School District in opening up new pathways for students to whom college may not have been as attainable. There will be some scholarships involved. We also will be able to set up a scholarship program that will allow teachers in the Mitchell School District who are interested in advancing their degrees to earn a Master of Education.”
Brookbank said a pathway to college begins in childhood.
“If you set these kids up for success at a young age, and they’re used to that as they progress through your school system and on to the university level – they’re going to do great things," Brookbank said. "The intent is to lift the entire community, and I think that’s what this gift will do.”
For now though, university leadership is still in shock at what’s happened.
“I think we’ve been actually trying to wrap our heads around that since we got news the donation was forthcoming," Brookbank said. "This will be an incredible capital infusion, both to Dakota Wesleyan and to the Mitchell School District, which is pretty unprecedented, most school districts never get large donations. And we’re not having to put it into brick and mortar. This is all services and scholarships and programming.”
In total, two $15 million endowments are going to the university and Mitchell Public Schools respectively. The remaining $3 million serves as seed money to launch any new programs.