North Dakota State University has announced a $5.5 million gift from John Menard, Jr. and his family in support of the Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth.

The gift will fund a directorship, several professorships, visiting scholars programs, and graduate and undergraduate fellowships at the institute, which was established in 2019 with a $50 million gift from Robert Challey and his wife, Sheila. The gift also will launch the Menard Family Distinguished Speakers Series in November, with Arthur C. Brooks, professor of practice and public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Arthur C. Patterson faculty fellow at the Harvard Business School, as the inaugural guest speaker. 

"Students, faculty, and the community will be able to engage and interact with world-class experts in these areas, generating additional ideas, thought, and research that will further our mission," said John Bitzan, Menard Family Director of the Challey Institute.

Menard is the founder and owner of home improvement store chain Menards, which he launched while a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. 

"Our hope is to empower as many people as possible to have the opportunity our family did to use their innate abilities to learn, contribute, and succeed," the family said in an open letter. "To stay relevant, all of us need to embrace learning and new ideas so that we can create an America where nobody gets left behind. We hope our support of NDSU will enhance the educational experiences of students, preparing them for future success and inspiring generational prosperity [in] communities across the Midwest to lead the way."

(Photo credit: North Dakota State University)