Prior to this year the largest single donation to Northern State University was a very generous $5 million dollars from an anonymous donor. So when President Jim Smith announced at the Northern Nights event that the school of education had just been gifted $15 million dollars, there was quite a reaction.
“It is the most special announcement that I’ve been able to make, certainly in the four years that I’ve been here, but it’s the largest announcement I’ve made in the 30 some years I’ve had in higher education and K-12” said Smith.
Millicent Atkins, who passed away at the age of 93 in July, 2012 was a strong advocate for education. She grew up in Columbia, graduated Columbia High School as part of the Class of 1937 and then later received her teaching degree from Northern State College, NSU prior to its name change in 1989.
Atkins, who inherited much of her wealth from her father, Fred Atkins, lived a modest lifestyle and gave more than she would spend on herself. Those who knew her at the UCC Congregational Church in Columbia said she was private, kind and very generous to the church.
Her father, who had been a successful farmer and businessman, collected some 4,100 acres of farm land, most of which was purchased during the great depression. Many locals knew about the Atkins wealth from their land holdings, but you would be hard pressed to tell by their lifestyle. Like her father, Millicent lived in a very modest apartment, drove a quite reasonable car and rarely spent money. Atkins spent a short time teaching after her graduation from NSC, she spent the vast majority of her life running the family’s farming business.
NSU says that the school will receive an annual deposit from the Atkins trust for the next 10 years. As a token of appreciation it is expected that the school of education will be renamed in Millicent Atkins honor.