(AP) — A company that supplies construction materials has split a $210 million stock donation among Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City-based Dolese Bros. Co. recently announced the gift after completing the stock distribution. The supplier of ready-mix concrete, crushed stone, gravel and sand is using the gift as a way to transfer ownership of the company to its employees.

Here’s how it works: The company is gradually buying back the stock from the universities. Until the buy-back is complete, the universities own the company, although they have no voting or operational rights. The universities spend the buy-back payments — at least $500,000 annually per school — to help more students earn engineering degrees.

The unusual gift was the vision of the company’s late owner, Roger Dolese.

“For years the gift from Dolese has allowed us to capitalize on unprecedented enrollment growth in the College of Engineering and boost our engineering graduation rate,” said Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz. “The funding came at a key time as K-State works to become a top 50 public research university by 2025. We are so grateful to the Dolese Company for this novel and generous gift.”