Pam Gordon Singer ’84 likes to remind her husband, Rob ’83, that he acquired two of the greatest gifts of his life at Ithaca College—his wife and his education. Rob and Pam have pledged to create a $25,000 endowed scholarship that will be awarded to business and Park students with financial need.
These days the Singers are watching their daughter Heather, a freshman, experience IC student life for the first time. “It’s amazing,” Pam says. “The one thing I remember about Ithaca is the warmth and the outpouring of support. It still has that warmth, and it’s great to see that Heather realizes it and appreciates it.”
Adds Rob, “Ithaca’s still the same, but different. The principal mission is the same, but there have been major improvements academically. Our diplomas have appreciated tremendously."
Rob is chief executive officer of De Novo Legal, a company that provides staffing and training for major law firms across the country. “The College was a springboard for where I am today,” he says. Last year he participated on a business law panel at IC hosted by Gwen Seaquist, professor of marketing and law. He was impressed by the quality of today’s Ithaca students. “If I see Ithaca College on a résumé, I pay special attention to that.”
In establishing the Singer Family Scholarship, the Singers hope to set a philanthropic example for their two daughters. “Kids can be privileged, they can have certain things, and you want to give them everything you have,” Pam says, “but you want them to understand that they’re fortunate and should give back to those less fortunate.”
The Singers are giving back in other ways, too: they have become involved with the College’s Metro New York Campaign Committee, and Rob sits on the committee’s executive board. Rob says he enjoys attending regional IC events and getting to know some of his fellow alumni. “It feels good to be reconnected to the College. Ithaca holds a special place in everyone’s heart, and the events are bringing that out.”
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