Former General Mills CEO Gives $20M to DePauw

(Image of Steve and Karen Sanger provided by DePauw University.)

DePauw University has received a major gift from a former chief executive officer of General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) and his wife. Steve and Karen Sanger have committed $20 million to their alma mater. The donation will create the Sanger Leadership Initiative, which will bring together multiple co-curricular centers on-campus for new leadership learning opportunities, experiential learning programs, speaking events and collaborations with other institutions.

Steve Sanger began at General Mills in 1974 and served as chairman and CEO for 13 years until his retirement in 2008. Karen Ogren Sanger earned degrees from DePauw, Northwestern University and William Mitchell College of Law.

"Leadership is a set of behaviors which enable leaders to motivate people, to reach difficult ethical decisions under pressure, and to draw the best from their teams,” says Steve Sanger. "Leadership behaviors are often best learned through experience and the campus leadership opportunities and experiential learning that DePauw has offered have made this college a leadership laboratory. With our gift, Karen and I look to help DePauw impact new generations of students in even deeper ways."

The gift will support the university’s Campaign for DePauw, which has already exceeded its $300 million goal and now stands at $354 million. The four-year fundraising effort is slated to close in December. You can connect to more about the Sangers’ donation by clicking here.