Frank W. Veden Chair for Rural Economic Development

Frank Veden was born in Wadena, MN, graduated from Detroit Lakes High School and the University of Minnesota Dental School. Dr. Veden, who died Dec. 2, 1996, after practicing dentistry in Fergus Falls for 47 years, created the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust to support education, health, science, industry, recreation, agriculture, environmental protection and social welfare.

It was Dr. Veden's commitment to rural Minnesota that led to his generosity to the University of Minnesota, Crookston. He believed that the support of economic development in rural America was critical if young people were going to assume future leadership responsibility for rural economic development and growth in their respective communities. It was his intent that his gifts be used for this purpose in rural Minnesota. Veden also gifted scholarships to Concordia-Moorhead, Gustavus, St. Olaf College. Kenneth Broin is the curator of the Veden Trust. UMC Donor Report.

The Veden Endowment at UMC supports two half-time fellows for rural economic development. Dr. David DeMuth will extend web-technologies developed for research and teaching to become a vehicle for economic development by supplying database applications to local companies and to produce regional software developers. Dr. John Loegering will inventory nature-related outdoor recreation opportunities in the region, provide an economic analysis of the potential for these opportunities to contribute to rural economies, and produce an educational guide highlighting and promoting nature-based recreation in northwest Minnesota.

Proposals:
DeMuth: Web Applications Software for Rural Economic Development (PDF, 89Kb)
Loegering: Nature Northwest (PDF, 131Kb)

Project Status - DeMuth:
October 2001 Report
October 2002 Report
May 2003 Report
October 2003 Report
March 2004 Report
November 2004 Report