Montana State University in Bozeman has announced a $3.5 million gift to its alumni foundation from Nancy Cameron ('54) in support of scholarships, a chair in animal and range sciences, and a business professorship.

The first installment of the gift, some $500,000, will be used to establish endowments for three scholarship funds for students from Montana — the Cameron Pioneer Memorial Business Scholarship, the Cameron Pioneer Memorial Pre-Med Scholarship, and the Nancy Cameron Presidential Scholarship for students admitted to MSU's Honors College.

The gift also includes a $2 million endowment to establish the Nancy Cameron Chair in Animal and Range Sciences in the university's College of Agriculture, with the expectation that the holder of the chair will lead research that provides direct benefits to Montana ranchers. In addition, a $1 million endowment will be created to fund a professorship in the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

"I am very pleased with what I have been able to do, building on the long Montana heritage of the Cameron pioneer family," said Cameron, who is descended from a pioneering ranching family with a 125-year history in the state. "I have very fond memories of my time at MSU, and I am glad that this gift will further the educational activities there."