Carroll University has received a $5.5 million gift from the estate of alumnus Bill Yersin, representing the single largest gift in the school’s history.
A portion of the bequest will be used to establish two new business student scholarships, support an existing scholarship and create an endowed faculty position. The remaining balance of the gift may be used without restrictions.
Yersin graduated from Carroll in 1963 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.
“This incredibly generous gift from Bill not only will support future students, but provides us the flexibility to prioritize funds for our new strategic plan,” said Cindy Gnadinger, president of Carroll University.
The new scholarships include the William B. Yersin Full Tuition Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide four-year tuition scholarships for business students attending Carroll, and a non-endowed fund to support Yersin Business Scholars. Another portion of the bequest will be used for the Adolph G. Yersin Full Tuition Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was established in the name of Yersin’s father by Bill Yersin and his mother, Mary Yersin, in 2006.
Yersin, who died at age 76 in October 2017, had been actively involved with Carroll for many years.
Following graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in September 1963 with active duty assignments that included Bedford Air Force Station in Virginia, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Clark Air Base in the Philippines and Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1984 as a lieutenant colonel and then was employed as a civil servant at Lowry until he retired in 1996.
“Bill really cared about our students,” said Stephen Kuhn, vice president for institutional advancement. “He thoroughly enjoyed meeting them, and it gave him great joy. He visited campus at least once a year to meet with his scholarship recipients. He loved Carroll.”
