Norm Asbjornson, a Montana State University alumnus, has made a gift of $50 million in donation to the school's College of Engineering for the construction of a laboratory and classroom facility, which will be named the Norm Asbjornson Innovation Center.
Asbjornson's donation is the largest private gift in the state's history.
"I am excited to see the amazing growth of MSU and the College of Engineering. I hope my gift challenges and inspires others who are in a position to advance the university that has given us so much. MSU needs our support now and this is the time to give back," Asbjornson said in a statement.
The native of Winifred graduated from MSU in 1960 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Asbjornson was bestowed an honorary doctorate in engineering from MSU and the Montana Board of Regents in 2004. In 1988, he established AAON Inc. in Tulsa, Okla. The company manufactures industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, with annual revenues in excess of $300 million.
"Norm has inspired us and humbled us with not only his generosity, but with the depth of his character and his sense of responsibility for future generations," said MSU President Waded Cruzado. "This gift will transform the lives of generations of students, it will transform this campus, and it will transform the state of Montana in profound ways."
The state-of-the-art Norm Asbjornson Innovation Center aims to promote dynamic interdisciplinary engagement and meaningful student-faculty interaction on wide-ranging topics in education, industry and society.
This is not Asbjornson's first gift to the school. In 2003, he established a $1 million scholarship fund for Montana high school graduates; endowed scholarship for Winifred High School graduates who plan to attend MSU, and created an endowment for the Burns Technology Center to develop innovative distance learning programs for rural Montana schools.
