芭芭拉·科蒂·赫尔曼1962年

我们所遇到的地方和人塑造了我们的生活. 芭芭拉·科蒂·赫尔曼, 1962届毕业生, 埃尔迈拉大学 was one of those places that helped shape her future and for that reason, Herrmann was inspired to give back to 埃尔迈拉大学 through a planned gift.

"The most important thing is to ensure 埃尔迈拉大学 continues to impact the lives of students - the same as it did for me,赫尔曼说.

原产于北托纳旺达, 纽约, Herrmann grew up in a place and time with limited options for young women. Only 10 percent of students from her high school went to college. 妇女结婚后呆在家里是很常见的, and those who pursued careers were expected to go into nursing, 教学, 或者成为秘书.

但这些都不适合赫尔曼. 经过一番研究, she found 埃尔迈拉大学 and liked its emphasis on providing a curriculum for women that was as rigorous as programs for men.

"Attending 埃尔迈拉大学 meant a lot to me,赫尔曼说. “我从来没有勇气去找工作. 这让我看到了其他的可能性."

她在mg冰球突破豪华版下载的日子并不容易. She came from North Tonawanda, an area known as the Lumber Capital of the World. She didn't feel as prepared for the curriculum as other students, many of whom came from 纽约 City and attended a preparatory school. 但她决心坚定，坚持不懈.

"I learned to keep going at 埃尔迈拉大学,赫尔曼说.

Her determination served her well, graduating in 1962 with a degree in 历史. She credits the support system of the faculty for setting her on a path to have a fulfilling career and the independence to leave the region of her birth.

"I just hope that people realize that small schools are valuable," she said. “你不会在一所小学校里迷路. You can find a support system, without which, there is no point."

毕业后，她和丈夫搬到了印第安纳州. 在那里, she accepted her first job at Purdue University running the film library at night, 但必须先为之奋斗.

"I had heard they wouldn't hire a woman for the role," she said. “但我坚持了下来，并得到了它!"

赫尔曼和她的丈夫后来搬到了明尼苏达州.

Throughout her adult life, she has been canny with her money. She managed the finances for her family and made sure to get a financial planner and set aside money toward retirement.

"I always put 10% of my salary away for retirement and pretended like it wasn't there," she said.

她丈夫去世后, Herrmann decided that the best way to avoid paying a lot of taxes on the money would be to gift the money to the institutions that meant the most to her. Her children and grandchildren were already well provided for, so this meant she could give back to 埃尔迈拉大学 – the institution that changed her life – with a planned gift.

Herrmann said setting up the gift was easy with her financial planner. She also wanted to make sure that the gift didn't come with strings attached, 所以她没有限制她的礼物.

"在那里 is no way to know what the College will need," she said. “为什么要绑他们的手?" Leaving it unrestricted allows the College to use it where they need it most."

Planned gifts like Herrmann's go a long way to making sure students will find their place at 埃尔迈拉大学 while preparing for the complexities and challenges of today's world – just like Herrmann did more than 50 years ago.

If you would like more information about setting up a planned gift or another kind of gift, go to our Bequest and Estate Planning page or reach out to Angela May at amay@wangzhuan1.net.