Making a Difference Today; Leaving a Legacy Tomorrow

Susan and her dog Atlas

When Susan Trautman Forbes '72 enrolled at UW-Eau Claire in 1968 at the age of 17, she thought about how she had to take care of herself for the first time. Now, she's thinking about how she can help take care of future students at the university. To help ease students' financial worries, Susan has created a scholarship for sophomore and junior women in science fields.

Susan settled on pursuing a career as a medical technologist during high school and felt equipped to be successful in her career following her UW-Eau Claire coursework and year-long internship at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay. She credits the small class sizes, friendly relationships with caring faculty, and older friends in the program who paved the way for her educational success. And, after a 41-year career as a medical technician, she marvels at the fields of scientific study that students can pursue at UW-Eau Claire that didn't exist when she was pursuing her own education.

When Susan's husband passed away in 2011, he encouraged her to use the money he left her to do something that would be meaningful to her. "As my generation gets older, we'd like to know there are some young people coming up who will fill our shoes after we're gone and take care of us when we need help," Susan said. Paying more attention to women-dominated fields in health care and encouraging young women to pursue their passions stuck out as a priority to her, and Susan began donating stocks from her portfolio to support this area while also avoiding capital gains taxes and maximizing her charitable deductions.

After speaking with a Foundation staff member at an alumni gathering in the Fox Valley, Susan decided that naming the UW-Eau Claire Foundation as the beneficiary of her IRA was a way she could continue to invest in women studying science and support today's students in affording rising tuition costs. Although she is not yet required to take an annual minimum distribution, Susan's plan to take advantage of the IRA charitable rollover allows her gift to be put to use and to see the difference that donation is making in the present while also avoiding the payment of income taxes on the IRA distribution.

"The main thing that surprises me still is that it really doesn't require as much money as I thought to establish a scholarship. People shouldn't feel like they need millions of dollars to make a difference, and I am so fortunate I am able to help three students every year," Susan says. Her ongoing support for her alma mater will support today's women in the sciences as well as many future UW-Eau Claire scholars in the years to come.