The University of Nebraska Foundation has announced a $12.6 million gift from the estate of philanthropist and alumna Carol Cope to create endowed funds for scholarships, faculty awards, and programs at UN-Kearney and UN-Lincoln.

The $11.6 million gift to UNK — the largest single gift ever received by that campus — will be used to establish multiple permanently endowed funds and fulfill a previous commitment for an athletic expansion and recreation project. The commitment includes $4.6 million in support of high-priority projects across the Kearney campus; $1.8 million to provide some twenty scholarships a year; and endowed funds of $500,000 each to provide annual stipends to outstanding faculty members in music, business administration, and business and technology. UNL will receive $1 million for endowed faculty professorships.

Cope, who died in September 2012 at the age of 103, and her husband, Ron, provided support to the University of Nebraska for more than fifty years, including funding for construction of the Ron and Carol Cope Nebraska Safety Center, which provides instruction in safety education; an endowment for the UNK Alumni Association to support alumni programs; and support for student scholarship funds and athletic programs.

"This most generous gift represents the lasting legacy of Ron and Carol Cope at the University of Nebraska," said Brian Hastings, president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation. "The magnitude of its effect will be felt by generations of students and educators. Even years from now, students will continue to be known as proud Cope scholars."