Our Donors

Jerry Nelson grew up with fond memories of his mom, Rose, working at Nicolet College. Rose Nelson contributed significantly to Nicolet College in her various roles on campus. "Nicolet was her passion," remembers Vicki Nelson, Jerry's wife. "Anything that involved Nicolet College, she absolutely loved it. Anytime you talked about Nicolet College, you could just see the sparkle in her eye." Rose's passion for Nicolet College built a foundation of influence on her family and beyond.  

Vicki, in addition to being a Nicolet College graduate, has worked at the college now for nine years. Jerry, also an alum, and Vicki both supported their daughter Lexi's decision to attend Nicolet College. Lexi took Start College Now classes as a high school student and currently is enrolled in the University Transfer - Liberal Arts program. "I always wished she'd come here. Lexi got some scholarships and that's going to help a lot," said Jerry.  

Having the support and legacy of her family will help motivate Lexi in her goal to become a social worker. "I think my grandparents would think  it's great to see me here and to see it went from my mom and now me attending Nicolet," says Lexi. "Hopefully my children can do this too, and I think they'd just be really happy to see that I decided to take this path."  

The Nelsons are current donors to the Nicolet College Foundation, supporting a scholarship in memory of Rose and Keith Nelson. Continuing the work his parents started is a natural source of pride for Jerry and Vicki. "This was part of their whole life. Part of their whole being, was just helping their community," said Vicki. 

After graduating from Nicolet College, Lynn Hudson earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a PhD in genetics and cell biology at the University of Minnesota, and completed her post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hudson spent 30 years doing research at the National Institutes of Health as the head of the Laboratory of Developmental Genetics and later taking the helm at the Office of Science Policy Analysis.

Her father, Dr. Steger, helped create Nicolet College. “Even when my dad started in 1969, he really believed in lifelong learning. That was a time when that was such a novel concept,” Dr. Hudson recalls. Dr. Hudson never forgot the important role Nicolet College played in her life, saying, “It really prepared me. I look back at my educational life, and I’d say in all that time, about a half dozen people really influenced me with their passion for the subject and their drive, and half of those were here.”

Dr. Hudson established the Dr. Robert Steger Award in her father’s memory for students graduating from Nicolet College and transferring to a four-year college or university, and she makes a contribution to this award every year. After more than 50 years, the Steger family is still making a difference in the Northwoods community. Theirs is a lasting legacy made possible by a lifetime of philanthropy carried on from one generation to the next.