Campus News / Events

 

Lake Superior State University has created its first endowed faculty position through a $1 million gift.

Dr. Marty Vanderploeg, CEO of Workiva, an Ames, Iowa-based provider of cloud-based and mobile-enabled platforms for enterprises, bestowed the seven-figure gift to establish the Martin Vanderploeg Endowed Assistant Director of Research at the Richard and Theresa Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education (Barch CFRE), named after his father. Eighty percent of the funding is allocated for salary and 20 percent for research for the endowed position.

Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski, assistant director of research at Barch CFRE and associate professor in the School of Natural Resources & Environment, has been appointed as the Martin Vanderploeg Endowed Assistant Director of Research at the Barch Center for Freshwater Research and Education. He joined LSSU in 2014.

“Lake Superior State University thanks our very generous donor, Marty Vanderploeg, a technology trailblazer, Eastern Upper Peninsula fishing enthusiast, and longtime Lake State benefactor, for this momentous first for our institution and for another monumental boon for our region,” said LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley. “We also congratulate Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski, who has published nearly three dozen peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, who has received more than $5 million in research grants, and who is president of the Michigan Chapter of the America Fisheries Society, for his well-deserved appointment.”

Barch CFRE Director Dr. Ashley Moerke added, “We are grateful for Mr. Vanderploeg’s generous support and recognition of the important research and education we are doing at LSSU’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education. The endowment will ensure that CFRE continues to be a leader in fish culture, fisheries management, and conservation of our amazing Great Lakes resources.”

Scott Smith, vice president of advancement, said, “This significant gift from Marty Vanderploeg and this career highlight for Dr. Kevin Kapuscinski typify LSSU’s mission of enhancing the quality of life of the Great Lakes region, LSSU’s core values of academic excellence and environmental stewardship, and LSSU’s strategic plan priorities of partnership and conservationism. What a wonderful and integral development for the current generation of scientists and the next generation of scientists.”