“MSOE provided an education that made me more valuable in the workplace, and it feels right to give some of that back to the school.”

Since graduating from MSOE as a Computer Engineer, Brent Folbrecht ’97 has demonstrated his commitment to paying it forward by giving annually for over 25 years to benefit his alma mater.

Ironically, choosing MSOE wasn’t even on Brent’s radar until his father, Gary Folbrecht, encouraged him to take a campus tour. Brent recalls the tour was what ultimately sold him to enroll.  “I made my decision after 30 minutes. I still remember hearing Metallica blaring from one of the dorm rooms.”  

Brent graduated in 1997 with a degree in computer engineering and a minor in technical communications. He said during his time as a student he enjoyed the challenges of his courses and the connections he made with other students and professors. “I visited Dr. Mallmann in the Physics department over 10 years ago. He gave me a pair of polarizers that I still carry in my wallet. He was one of my favorite professors.” 

In December 1997, Brent made his first of many gifts to support MSOE and has donated every year to MSOE since. “My motivation behind giving started with just appreciating the time spent at MSOE. Then, after starting my first job, I realized I was better prepared for many assignments than my coworkers from other schools. I credit the hands-on, practical nature of my MSOE education for giving me this advantage at the beginning of my career.” 

In the early 2000s, Brent started living and working in Taiwan, and it wasn’t as easy to pay bills and support his alma mater. “This was the era before you could pay bills via the Internet, so I made sure one of my sisters sent checks on my behalf to MSOE.”  

When Brent returned to the US, he moved to Minnesota, got married and started working for Cummins, a global power technology company, as a technical writer. Today, he remains at the company working as an engineering systems project manager. In this position, he utilizes his expertise from MSOE across many fields. “I play a variety of roles on projects related to engineering computer systems, business processes and data analysis.” 

Brent also continues to support MSOE and has a passion for helping students. “Higher education can be expensive. I appreciated the scholarship support I received when I attended MSOE, and I enjoy helping the current students in return.” He maintains his perfect record of giving by utilizing MSOE’s monthly recurring giving program that ensures he never misses a gift to the university. 

In addition to this feat of generosity, in 2019 Brent made a gift to support an office inside Diercks Hall, in honor of his father. Brent credits his dad for setting him on his MSOE journey. “I don’t think my dad had any particular reason for insisting on the campus trip, but my life and career would be quite different had he not.”