Ronald Scheele, a 1966 Lakeland University graduate and native of Sheboygan, has given back to his alma mater and in turn, to others who may follow in his footsteps in the form of a $1 million gift to science programs at the local University.
The gift will be distributed in two portions; one half funding the Ronald Scheele Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing a degree in the basic sciences who demonstrate financial need and maintain the required grade point average; and the remaining $500,000 creating a science and healthcare innovation program growth fund that will provide support for science and healthcare innovation and program development.
Scheele family members, including his two children, were on Lakeland’s campus on October 13 to visit their father’s alma mater and meet with Lakeland faculty and staff to present the check and discuss the scope of the gift’s impact.
Lakeland University President Beth Borgen called the bequest a “transformational gift that will expand access to life-changing programs available in the sciences at Lakeland.”
Ronald Scheele passed away in 2024 at the age of 80 after an exemplary career that he said was made possible by a scholarship that allowed him to attend Lakeland. He expressed his gratitude by directing his executors to “pay it forward”, enabling generations of future Lakeland students to follow in his footsteps.
His life story is best read through his official obituary, available here.
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