The McLaughlin Research Institute, the University of Great Falls, and the Great Falls Public Library Foundation in Montana, as well as the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, will each receive a $1.4 million bequest from the estate of Michael and Kathleen Curran, the Great Falls Tribune reports.

The Currans, who established a charitable trust in 2000, chose the recipient organizations and stipulated that the gift to UGF be used to fund scholarships for students in the nursing program or other healthcare fields. The couple owned a ranch near Craig, Montana, and Michael Curran, who died in 2002, also operated a pipeline construction business. Kathleen Curran died in April.

George Carlson, director of the McLaughlin Research Institute, told the Tribune that the gift was a welcome surprise, as he has struggled to maintain federal funding for studies the institute is working to complete, specifically in the area of Alzheimer's disease. The Currans' gift will help the institute transition to more clinically relevant research, Carlson added.

"These are the kind of gifts that give great hope and spirit to the small, private colleges," said UGF president Eugene McAllister. "We know there is a lot of need here. This is an extraordinarily valuable gift for our students."