Mayville State University President’s Column
June 24, 2023
Generous and thoughtful benefactors play a big role in impacting the Mayville State Experience
Mayville State University is blessed with supporters who truly care about the university and the mission of helping students achieve their academic goals and dreams. Many of these supporters give generously of their own financial resources to help students and the university as a whole.
Among those special supporters is a Mayville State friend who has recently anonymously challenged others to make financial contributions to support the football program. The donor, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has pledged to match dollar-for-dollar all contributions to MSU Football, up to a total of $30,000. Gifts must be received by Nov. 11, 2023. This is the fifth time the donor has issued the challenge, and this time the challenge amount has increased by $10,000. That’s genuine Comet Pride! All funds received will assist the Mayville State University football program through the work of the White Hat Club.
This donor issued the first $20,000 challenge to assist Comet Football back when Rocky Larson had just come on board as head football coach in 2020. The White Hat Club, which began in 2019 through a grass roots effort by Mayville State supporters to raise funding to purchase new football helmets for the team, was in its infancy. The challenge helped to keep the momentum going and allow the White Hats to expand their support for the team to include not only scholarships, but various needs as established by Coach Larson. The effort has been a fantastic success and has been instrumental in helping Rocky Larson establish a foundation on which his team can grow.
In the words of Coach Larson, “The White Hats have allowed us to do so much in the past 40 months since taking over the program. Words cannot describe how powerful this group has become. Our football program thanks all who have been involved for their help and investment in Comet Football.”
We are truly grateful to the anonymous donor who has so generously issued this wonderful challenge over the years. When you add it all up, that’s $80,000 received in matching funds, with a pledge of $30,000 more in the wings. Multiply that times two to account for the gifts from all those who have and will accept the challenge this time around, and we’re at $220,000, nearly a quarter of a million dollars!
The team effort that was precipitated by this act of thoughtfulness has without a doubt already made a big difference for Comet Football and for the young men who are a part of the team. We look forward to the 2023 season and the opportunity to see first-hand how the actions of the White Hat Club members and many others positively impact the program.
The giving clubs for Comet Athletics do not stop with the White Hat Club. There is a giving club to support each of our athletic teams, and we are very appreciative of all who contribute to the teams through their membership in the clubs. You can find out more about each of the clubs by going to www.mayvillestate.edu/donate or by contacting MSU Foundation Executive Director Dr. Lon Jorgensen at lonny.jorgensen@mayvillestate.edu.
The opportunity to participate in athletics is just one way that can make the Mayville State Experience rewarding and memorable for students. Participating in things like music, theater, Collegiate DECA, Science Club, Intercultural Club, research projects, Student Education Association, and so much more really enhances the overall educational experience and helps students develop and hone their leadership skills. That’s what it’s all about at Mayville State University – creating opportunities for the students to have the best possible experience, one that will set them on a path to a lifetime of happiness and success.