A Full-Circle Investment

An interdisciplinary approach to the STEM Complex motivates an alumni couple’s lead gift.

From small-town North Dakota to global careers in engineering and medicine, Craig and Patricia Kipp understand firsthand the significance of the UND STEM Complex.

Their support of the capital project includes a lead gift for Phase II. For Craig, ’78, ’81, the project’s interdisciplinary design stands out. As a student, he was accustomed to running from building to building while earning his engineering degrees. The idea of bringing disciplines together under one roof, he says, creates stronger opportunities for collaboration and connection.

“It will give students the opportunity to interact with professors from different areas,” Craig said.

The approach mirrors their own careers. Craig’s work as an engineer, business leader, and CEO required collaboration across technical and business fields. Patricia, ’77, ’81, an internal medicine physician, relied on the same foundational sciences offered at UND throughout her practice.

Their philanthropy has come full circle – from a $50 gift as a young couple to an engineering capital campaign in 1988 to now providing leadership support for the new STEM Complex. Craig, who was recently inducted into UND’s Engineering Alumni Academy, sees the project as a defining investment.

“It’s going to be a significant building and a significant change to education on campus,” he said. “Having all those disciplines together is going to make you a better engineer or career person – it all kind of comes back to you during important points in your career when you’re working with different professionals on problems,” said Craig.

Having all those disciplines together is going to make you a better engineer or career person.Craig Kipp, ’78, ’81

Craig attended UND on an ROTC scholarship, played junior varsity basketball and pledged to Sigma Alpha Epsilon, but it was also where he met Patricia and the two began a lifelong partnership. He says experiences like those are a big reason people give back.

“It’s a way of saying ‘thanks’ for the things they did for me.”

Patricia adds, “From a practical standpoint, we’re contributing to something that helps students get a chance to earn their degree and contribute significantly to their industry. That diploma means something.”