UMR alumnus donates school's largest private gift

ROLLA, Mo. -- A University of Missouri-Rolla alum has pledged $5 million to the school, the largest private donation in its history.

Gary Havener, a Mexico, Mo., native and Texas businessman, is donating the money so the school can expand and renovate University Center, the campus' student union.

Havener is a 1958 graduate of Mexico High School and a 1962 graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla.

The University Center expansion is expected to cost about $13 million and is being funded through private donations and a student fee increase approved by students. The project is expected to be complete in 2004 and will nearly double the center's current size of 45,000 square feet.