Key Takeaways
- Chang K. Park, who earned dual electrical engineering degrees from Michigan Tech in 1973, gave the university $55 million to build a student wellness center.
- The gift is the largest from an individual in Michigan Technological University's history and fully funds the 78,400 square foot Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness.
- The center is expected to open in fall 2028 and will bring student health and wellness services that are spread across campus into one building.
Alumnus Chang K. Park, from the Michigan Tech class of 1973, gave a donation of $55 million, the largest individual donation in Michigan Technological University's history, to fully fund construction of a new student wellness center. The university's Board of Trustees approved construction of the project in December 2025.
What the records show
Michigan Technological University is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan. The university's Board of Trustees voted to approve construction of the Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness, a facility the university says will provide students with 78,400 square feet of modern campus wellness programming and holistic care. The $55 million gift from Park fully funds that construction.
At 78,400 square feet, the gift works out to about $700 for every square foot the building will hold, a ratio neither the university nor local coverage reported. The university was recently named to the 2026 Mental Health Services Honor Roll. The center is expected to open in fall 2028.
Park graduated from Michigan Tech in 1973 with dual degrees in electrical engineering. He delivered the university's 2024 Commencement address, where he told graduates to remain venturesome in their careers. Park also served on the committee for the university's capital campaign, the fundraising drive that the new gift anchors.
Why it matters
Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek said Park intended the gift to spur further giving. "He saw the donations that were coming through and he also wanted to motivate others to continue to contribute to Michigan Tech in a new level," Koubek said. A single gift that covers an entire building shifts the cost of a capital project off tuition and state funding and onto one donor.
The wellness center answers a practical gap the university has described. Students now travel to separate offices for health and wellness services that the new building will hold in one central place. "Our students go so many places for these services, so having a central location is going to be important," said Laura Bulleit, vice president for student affairs. The roughly $700 per square foot the gift represents is a measure of how far one person's money reaches when it funds a building outright rather than a share of one.
People Also Ask
Who is Chang K. Park?
Chang K. Park graduated from Michigan Tech in 1973 with dual degrees in electrical engineering. Chang K. Park gave Michigan Technological University $55 million to fund a student wellness center, the largest individual gift in the university's history, and delivered the school's 2024 Commencement address.
How much did Chang K. Park give Michigan Tech?
Chang K. Park gave Michigan Technological University $55 million. The gift fully funds the 78,400 square foot Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness and is the largest individual donation in Michigan Tech's history.
What will the Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness include?
The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness will provide 78,400 square feet of wellness programming and holistic care for Michigan Tech students in one central campus location. The $55 million center is expected to open in fall 2028.
When will the Michigan Tech wellness center open?
The Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness is expected to open in fall 2028. Michigan Technological University's Board of Trustees approved construction of the $55 million building in December 2025.
Sources: Michigan Tech News, WZMQ 19.