Minnesota State Mankato Alumna Sherry Arndt’s Gift of 160 Acres of Family Farmland is First Donation to Maverick Real Estate Foundation

Minnesota State University, Mankato alumna Sherry L. Arndt (’70 School of Nursing) of Capitola, California, has donated 160 acres of family farmland as the first gift to the newly created Maverick Real Estate Foundation.

The farmland, located near Comfrey, Minnesota, is valued at more than $1.6 million, according to the Minnesota State University, Mankato Foundation, and the gift is intended to benefit generations of future students.

Minnesota State Mankato President Edward Inch thanked Arndt for her first-of-its-kind gift.

“We are deeply grateful to Sherry Arndt for her extraordinary generosity and for her unwavering belief in the power of higher education to transform lives,” said Inch. “Sherry’s donation of family farmland not only honors her roots and legacy but also lays a strong foundation for the University’s future growth. Her vision will directly support student success through hands-on learning, research opportunities and scholarships, ensuring that generations of Mavericks will benefit from her remarkable commitment.”

Sixty acres of the gift are designated for MSU’s School of Applied Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources to establish the MSU Arndt Family Research and Experiment Farm, an endowment for student scholarships and needs of the school.

Aaron Budge, interim executive director of the School of Applied Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said the gift would enhance the work already being done by faculty members with regional landowners on projects related to soil health, sustainable agricultural practice, agricultural drainage improvement and other applied concepts.

“We are thankful to Sherry Arndt for this gift, as this property will open the door for long-term opportunities,” said Budge. “We anticipate that the property will be rented to an interested partner with the agreement that sections of the land will be worked in collaboration with our faculty and staff on forward-thinking projects.”

Proceeds from the sale of the other 100 acres will be used for an eventual endowment for nursing scholarships and needs in Minnesota State Mankato’s School of Nursing.

Patricia Marincic, dean of MSU’s College of Allied Health and Nursing, thanked Arndt for the gift and said the endowment would support students in multiple academic programs.

“This endowment will provide scholarships to students to support their education across all professional programs in the School of Nursing,” said Marincic, “including the BS in nursing, a new MS in an advanced professional nurse program with options in education and leadership, and the doctorate of nursing practice (DNP).”

Arndt has been a long-time donor of pledged scholarships to students in Minnesota State Mankato’s School of Nursing.

Sherry L. Arndt grew up in Comfrey, Minnesota, and graduated from MSU’s School of Nursing in 1970. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco in 1990. Developing a passion for forensic nursing and the application of nursing science to the administration of justice, Arndt worked from 1986-1996 as the coordinator of the Sexual Assault Response Team/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SART/SANE) in California’s Santa Cruz County.

“Sherry Arndt is a pioneer in the area of sexual assault response and nursing forensics,” said Marincic of Arndt’s career work.

In 1986, there were very few sexual assault nurse examiner programs in the United States, according to a provided Arndt biography, but now every state uses SANE to conduct medical-legal examinations of victims of interpersonal violence. In 1996, Arndt moved back to her family farm in Comfrey, and from there she worked an additional 10 years in forensic nursing. Arndt has taught SART in numerous states around the country and also provided expert technical assistance to prosecutors and defense attorneys. In 2013, Arndt moved back to Capitola, California.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with 15,251 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 26 colleges and seven universities.