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Michigan State Receives $3M Athletics Donation

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University has received a $3 million donation to support its men's basketball program and defensive coordinator endowment.

The university said Thursday that alumni Peter and Joan Secchia donated the gift to help support the school's athletic programs, which aim to raise $262 million in a university-wide capital campaign.

The athletics portion of the campaign aims to increase sports endowments, improve facilities and attract elite coaches and mentors for athletes. MSU says the gift brings the program nearly halfway to its $50 million goal for endowment donations.

An athletic fund will host 100 endowment donors on Saturday for a reception where scholarship donors will meet their student-athlete recipients.

Peter Secchia is a former U.S. ambassador to Italy. He funded the school's Secchia Softball Stadium, which opened in 2011.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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