Gateway Announces the Largest Gift in School History

Kenosha---Just weeks after announcing a $1.2 million bequest from the estate of a Caledonia couple, Gateway Technical College Thursday revealed a nearly $3 million donation from a Kenosha family.

Michael Kopper and Michele Whitfield recently sold part of their business called Centrisys, a company that specializes in making centrifuges for sewage treatment plants. Kopper launched Centrisys in Kenosha in 1987 with about a dozen employees. It has since grown to 150. In addition, Centrisys is a partner with the City of Kenosha on groundbreaking technology that generates energy--both electricity and heat--from methane, a byproduct of the sewage treatment process.

The couple appeared before the Gateway Board of Trustees Thursday to formally unveil their gift, funded by proceeds from the sale. Kopper said he and his wife originally wanted to start their own foundation, but then thought it best to partner with Gateway. "Gateway is already doing what we wanted to do," he said. 

Kopper, who immigrated to this country from Germany, graduated from a German school similar to Gateway. 

Michele, who handles marketing for Centrisys, said she and her husband believe that the value of technical education is underrated. "Starting at a technical college is definitely a path that more and more people should choose," she said. 

About half of the $2.85 million donation—the largest in school history—will fund scholarships for students interested in engineering and manufacturing-related programs. The other half will go into the endowment for the Gateway Promise program. That program fills in the financial gaps for deserving students from lower-income families who still have a hard time affording college even after state and federal grants and loans are figured in.

Gateway President Bryan Albrecht said the true value of the gift can only be measured in the hopes and aspirations of those who fulfill its purpose. "On behalf of the entire Gateway community, we are grateful for the generosity and trust exemplified by Michael and Michele in establishing the Kopper Family Fund endowment honoring the value of technical education," he said. 

A new auditorium that'll be part of the expanded SC Johnson iMET Center will be named after Kopper and his wife. 

The $1.2 million gift announced earlier this year came from the estate of Otto and Beverly Tarnowski. 

Kopper and Whitfield also said that their gift of giving back to the community is meant to recognize the support they've received over the years from the City of Kenosha. They specifically mentioned Ed St. Peter, the city's utility manager who recently added the duties of city administrator to his workload.

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