The University of Minnesota Crookston celebrates its largest gift in history after receiving a $6.2 million donation from alumnus Les Nielsen. An upcoming naming and dedication of the campus wellness center, which will be called the Nielsen Family Wellness Center, is in recognition of the multimillion dollar gift.
Les and his wife, June, who passed away in September 2025, have been dedicated donors to UMN Crookston for decades. They’ve provided impactful scholarships for hundreds of students since the 1990s, most recently a full tuition scholarship for students living in the Minnesota communities of Red Lake Falls, Grygla, Clearbrook, Gonvick, Goodridge, and Euclid. They also donated $1 million to the wellness center project ahead of its grand opening 10 years ago in memory of their son, Mitch Lien Nielsen, who passed away in 1989 after a motorcycle accident.
“We feel blessed to be able to support the school and its students as my education at the Northwest School was motivation to continue to be successful in our career and business,” said Les. “I have always had respect for the school and it has helped quite a few members of our family.
“We also have strong ties to the rural Minnesota communities we provided (tuition scholarships) for as my mother was from the Grygla area, June’s from the Red Lake Falls area and the Gonvick area, and the Euclid community is where I grew up, too.”
Les attended high school on the Crookston campus when it was the Northwest School of Agriculture and graduated in 1958. A number of his siblings also attended high school at the NWSA and, later, Les and two of his brothers continued their education at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. After graduating high school and marrying June that same year, Les connected with his NWSA English teacher, Clint Bergman, who co-owned a small silo construction company near Minneapolis, and was offered a job. Les worked summers and attended classes in the fall. Following college graduation, Les and his Euclid neighbor, Gene Ellingson, started the company Herc-U-Lift, a sales and rental business in material handling equipment such as forklifts. Herc-U-Lift grew from four people to over 200 employees in its 55+ years and now has branch locations in North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Les said the opportunity to grow up on a farm, receive a fine education from the NWSA that prepared him for college, working and studying hard, and developing a successful career made him and his family want to give back to the university, and support students as a culmination of gratitude for their lives well lived.
“The university is profoundly grateful for the Nielsen family’s generosity and support of our students,” said UMN Crookston Chancellor Dr. Mary Holz-Clause. “This type of inspirational giving strengthens our campus community and will continue to make a difference in the lives of many.”
A dedication event for the Nielsen Family Wellness Center is planned for Monday, April 20 with more details to follow.