A Gift for the Love of the Prairie
Dr. Ellen Ordway
"If we can, by our studies, get people to recognize what they have in terms of native prairie, then maybe we can enable them to recognize the value of what they have."
—Ellen Ordway, 1927–2018
Professor Emerita Ellen Ordway understood firsthand the importance of education and the environment.
She entered Wheaton College before going on to earn a master's degree from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Ellen then joined the University of Minnesota Morris faculty in 1965, where she enjoyed a 40-year career teaching biology and became one of the first women to earn tenure there.
UMN Morris was a special place for Ellen and she included a gift to the university in her estate plan. To support scholars in their learning, reflection and discovery, and to honor Ellen's memory, UMN Morris will establish the Dr. Ellen Ordway Treehouse, an outdoor classroom at the university's emerging EcoCenter.
Ellen's memory lives on through the Dr. Ellen Ordway Treehouse, which encourages reflection, contemplation and connection for scholars of all ages and abilities as they seek to better appreciate and understand the rich and vital world around them.
You, like Ellen, can make a difference for the causes and institutions that are meaningful to you. Contact Susan Schmidgall, CDO, at 320-589-6160 or sschmidg@morris.umn.edu to learn more.
Honor UMN Morris with a gift from your estate. Please share your plans by completing our Estate Gift Survey.
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