Tippie generously gave $3.5 million to the college for various projects over his lifetime
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Feb. 21, 2022)–Kirkwood Community College leadership, faculty and staff were saddened by the news of the passing of businessman and philanthropist Henry B. Tippie on Sunday.
Tippie had been a major contributor to many important projects and student scholarships at the college for more than 25 years. To date, he and his wife Patricia have donated $3.5 million to the institution and the impact of that generosity will be felt by the Kirkwood community for years to come. Most recently, the couple donated $1 million to the previously established Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Business Endowed Scholarship in 2017. In recognition of their sizable gift, Kirkwood dedicated the Tippie Business Education Center at Nielsen Hall in a ceremony in May of that year.
To Kirkwood President Lori Sundberg, not only has Tippie’s charitable efforts affected the lives of so many people, it also created a legacy of selflessness for others to emulate.
“Henry Tippie was an amazing man who understood the importance of giving back to his community,” said Sundberg. “His incredible record of great support for higher ed is well documented, not only at Kirkwood, but at other institutions as well. He had a massive impact on so many other lives and will continue to do so. Henry set an example for all of us to follow in how we can work together to make a better world for everyone. He will be remembered fondly and deeply missed.”
Tippie’s history of giving to Kirkwood began nearly three decades ago:
1993 – Major contributor for Kirkwood’s Tippie-Mansfield Center in Belle Plaine
1996 – Created endowed scholarships for Tippie-Mansfield Center students
1998 – Major contributor for Kirkwood’s Tippie Beef Education Center
2001 – Created Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Beef Education Endowed Scholarships
2004 – Created Henry and Patricia Tippie Endowed Teaching Chair
2013 – Created Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Business Endowed Scholarship
2017 – $1 million donated to Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Business Endowed Scholarship
In 2011, Tippie received the Kirkwood Foundation Legacy Award, which is the highest honor awarded by the Kirkwood Foundation. The award is given to a family or individual who exemplifies leadership and involvement in philanthropy.
Over the years, many Kirkwood students have benefitted from Tippie’s generosity including Hannah Rohwedder, an Agriculture Production student and Tippie scholarship recipient.
“Receiving this scholarship helped me realize that all my hard work and determination throughout the years has given me a great, helpful reward, but also that someone else sees my future potential and ability to work for my goals,” said Rohwedder. “In return, I will work hard to achieve these goals` and help others along the way, just as others have helped me.”