North Dakota State University (NDSU) has announced a $25 million gift from alumnus Richard Offerdahl (’65) to support the new Center for Engineering and Computational Sciences.

The gift to support a building project on campus is the single largest gift in NDSU history, as well as the largest to directly support the College of Engineering. NDSU will name the engineering complex of buildings—new and existing—in Offerdahl’s honor. With a collaborative design studio, precision agriculture headquarters, college commons, and flexible teaching and research labs, the Richard Offerdahl ’65 Engineering Complex aims to accelerate development of a strong pipeline of engineers who will drive societal advancements and critical program growth related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, precision agriculture, data science, energy stewardship, advanced infrastructure, manufacturing, and robotics.

Offerdahl graduated from NDSU with a degree in electrical engineering. A previous gift to the university with his wife, Linda, established the Offerdahl Faculty Fellowship in the department of microbiological sciences.

“The state of North Dakota and NDSU made a big investment in me some 50 years ago, so it was time to return the favor…I figured putting it toward the education of future students was a good investment,” said Offerdahl. “I think it will pay off; the engineers educated here in the coming years will move the world forward.”

(Photo credit: Wikimedia/Richard N. Horne)