Paid Off … Montana State University can’t refuse huge gift

Perhaps nothing warms a university president’s heart like successful alumni throwing millions of dollars at their alma mater. Recently, Montana State University http://www.montana.edu/ President Waded Cruzado announced a $50 million donation–a university record–from Norm Asbjornson, owner of AAON, a Tulsa, Okla.- based heating and cooling equipment manufacturer.

Asbjornson is a 1960 MSU graduate in mechanical engineering, so fittingly, the money is earmarked for a new engineering building on the Bozeman campus to be named in his honor. Unfortunately for good public relations, the day before university regents met to approve the gift, it was revealed that Asbjornson was also the largest anonymous contributor to a "dark money" campaign organization featured in a Frontline documentary on PBS.

by Brian Leland

Full Story: http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/missoula/paid-off/Content?oid=1986655