Homesteading in North Dakota, Meier's grandparents immigrated from Germany, Norway and Sweden. My studies at NDSU certainly gave me the opportunity to take a shot at the world and do some things that I would never have been able to do if I hadn't had that education. Meier wants his gift to his alma mater to be used exclusively for faculty development in the college. What really makes the university is the faculty. The graduates make the reputation of a university, but the really critical thing is faculty.
Outstanding faculty draws outstanding students.
It is the first significant gift we have received in the college for faculty development. The funds will be used collegewide to present three annual awards to enhance salaries of faculty who have excelled each year in research, teaching and service. Money also will be used for expenses of faculty on developmental leave. Meier said his NDSU courses prepared him for his career as a chemist in the paints and coatings industry, but the lessons were not only in the classroom. I was a member of the ATO social fraternity and held a number of offices.