University of Minnesota receives $14 million estate gift for scholarships

Charles and Myrtle Stroud married in 1943 and the couple settled in Windom for the rest of their lives.

Largest single gift for scholarships in the U’s history

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/25/2011) —The University of Minnesota has received nearly $14 million from the estate of Myrtle Stroud, a longtime resident of Windom, Minn., who died in 2010 at the age of 101. The gift is designated for scholarships in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), making it the largest single gift for scholarships in the U’s history.

The gift is being used to establish the Charles E. and Myrtle L. Stroud Scholarship. Beginning this fall it will help 45 students, a number that will grow over the years as the endowment is fully established and invested.

“The Charles and Myrtle Stroud Scholarship will have an enormous impact on many excellent students who dream of attending our great university,” said U of M president Eric Kaler. “With this extraordinary gift, Myrtle Stroud is providing much-needed access to students who might otherwise have difficulty attending the university. Myrtle Stroud’s generosity will have an impact that may be more far-reaching than she ever imagined. For years to come, scores of excellent students proudly will be honored as Stroud Scholars.”

Born Myrtle Erickson in 1909 in Winsted, Minn., Stroud graduated in 1929 from Miss Wood’s School in Minneapolis, one of the first preparatory academies in the nation for kindergarten teachers. She taught in Minnesota schools for several years and attended the University of Minnesota in 1932. She married Charles Stroud, of Windom, in 1943, and the couple settled in Windom for the rest of their lives. Charles was a business owner and investor, and had attended the university in the early 1920s. Neither Myrtle nor Charles had siblings, and the couple had no children.

The Charles E. and Myrtle L. Stroud Scholarship will support new freshmen entering the College of Liberal Arts, and returning students and students transferring from other colleges.

“This generous gift has the potential to open the doors to talented students for whom financial considerations are an obstacle to a college education, and to give us more flexibility to address their changing needs,” said CLA dean James Parente. “With the high rate of transfer students we have entering CLA and the growing need for all students for financial support, it will help us respond to emerging trends. The return on Myrtle Stroud’s investment in CLA students will be felt for generations to come.”

Established in 1868, the College of Liberal Arts supports the University of Minnesota’s land-grant mission as home to disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences. With departments throughout the Minneapolis campus, it is the largest college and home to 14,762 undergraduate and 1,954 graduate students.

• © 2009-2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
• The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer
• Last modified on August 25, 2011