$800,000 resource will support student emergency funds
Dakota County Technical College has achieved its community-wide mission to support students by establishing an $800,000 Kopp Endowment for Employment. Made possible by a matching grant from Lee and Barbara Kopp and the Kopp Family Foundation, the endowment will provide emergency funds for DCTC students experiencing some form of financial hardship or crisis.
“As DCTC closes out its 40th Anniversary year, our faculty, staff, students and alumni are looking ahead to what we can accomplish over the next four decades,” said DCTC President Ronald E. Thomas. “By raising $400,000 to match a $400,000 challenge grant by the Kopp Family Foundation, we are off to a wonderful start.”
DCTC Vice President Sharon LaComb reported that funding the Kopp Endowment for Employment became a top priority for the college over the course of 2010. She noted that raising $400,000 wasn’t an easy task due to tough economic times, but individuals and organizations throughout the community came through when it counted.
“Through the generosity of Lee and Barbara Kopp along with heartfelt donations from everyone who helped match the grant, we have created an endowment that will sustain our emergency funds program far into the future,” LaComb said. “I would like to thank all the people at DCTC involved in the fundraising campaign for their unswerving commitment to making our goal.”
In 2004, the Council for Resource Development, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges, honored Lee and Barbara Kopp as a Benefactors of the Year for their generous support of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The chairman and CEO of Kopp Investment Advisors, Lee Kopp often cites a $200 scholarship he received in 1952 as the key to his success as the first in his family to attend college.
“Supporting students through emergency funds is essential,” Lee Kopp said. “The Kopp Family Foundation recognizes the importance of higher education in strengthening our economy at the local, state and national levels. DCTC is focused on programs and skills that enhance employability. By helping provide the means for students to earn their degrees and graduate, we are building bridges to a better future.”
