Grainnet

Cargill Contributes $25,000 to Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program at Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS—The “fall harvest” for the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership office included receipt of a generous gift that will help sustain the not-for-profit educational institution, according to the program’s president.

“The gift was the delivery of a high yielding contribution from the Cargill Cares Wichita Council in the amount of $25,000,” said KARL president Jack Lindquist.

“The long standing donor increased support to help the general fund of the program but, in essence, became an underwriter of the cost of two participants out of the group of 30 Class IX members.”

The value of each class participant’s experience in the leadership program stands at $15,000 per person.

Funds were received earlier for the tuition portion bringing the total contribution to $30,000 this Class IX period, Lindquist said.

Lindquist, who has been the president of the program since its inception in 1990, along with KARL board chairman Jim Bassett and class volunteers, worked with new leadership teams at Cargill Meat Solutions headquarters in Wichita as early as last December to start the process to increase the level of support from the food company.

The result is the Fellowship Underwriter category gift.

Cargill business interests in the State of Kansas have contributed a total of $121,000 since the program’s formation in 1990, Lindquist said.

Cargill has recognized the KARL Program as an executive level leadership training option. Six Cargill employees have gone through KARL leadership training since 2001.

“We are pleased that Cargill recognizes the opportunity to broaden their employees’ experiences, knowledge base and networks with the broad cross section of rural leaders, agriculture support representatives and producers that make up a typical KARL class,” he said.

Since the first class was formed in 1991, KARL has helped 270 Kansans from 93 of Kansas’ 105 counties improve their leadership skills.

Each two-year class is together for 50 days of training, activities and tours. KARL participants attend nine in-state seminars; and a one-week study tour to Washington, D.C.

In addition, participants attend a three-day Blue Chip Seminar to an internationally recognized corporation to study strategic corporate management and a 12-day international study seminar.

The two-year tuition fee for each adult student is $3,000 for the Class X offering, now being recruited for the 2009-2011 program cycle.

Individuals, businesses, organizations, foundations and corporations donate the remaining fellowship of $12,000 per person covering all expenses including the travel seminars.

For more information, call 785-532- 6300.