Manhattan—Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz announced today that the Jack Vanier family has made a gift of $60 million — the largest private donation in the history of K-State. The gift provides $40 million to benefit students, faculty, programs and facilities on both the Manhattan and Salina campuses, and $20 million for Phase III of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium master plan.

“The entire K-State family joins me in thanking Jack and Donna, and their children — Marty, John and Mary — for this transformational gift that will benefit the students of Kansas State for generations to come,” Schulz said. “This is a historic day in our progress toward our K-State 2025 vision of moving Kansas State University into the ranks of the Top 50 public research universities in the U.S.”

“Kansas State has always been a very important part of our lives,” the Vanier family said. “We feel very fortunate and are honored to be able to make this gift to the university. More importantly, we are thrilled to see so many other K-Staters from across the country investing in the lives of young people in Manhattan and Salina. The confidence we have in President Schulz and his leadership team, and the transparency with which they guide the university made the decision to make this gift an easy one. Our hope is that this will inspire others to make their investments in this great university.”

On K-State’s Manhattan and Salina campuses, the gift provides $40 million for students, faculty, programs and facilities.