特雷霍特，印第安纳州. (WTWO/WAWV) — Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人’s $250,000 gift to Indiana State University will create the Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人 Cancer Research Center, a transformational boost to the university’s work on the disease, ISU announced Wednesday.

“This is a visionary program that will put our university on the map nationally as a competitive graduate program in the field,ISU主席Dr. 黛博拉·J. 柯蒂斯说. “We are so grateful for our alumnus Rich 行李搬运工人 and his wife Robin, who have been generous donors to ISU in the past and now have given us the means to advance our cancer research tremendously.”

The donation will support five Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人 Research Fellows — internationally competitive graduate students — and allow them to focus their time and attention on research.

“Cancer touches everyone in some shape or form during their life,里奇·波特说, a 1977 ISU graduate in Business Management and former hurdler on the track team. “So it became our philanthropic passion.”

行李搬运工人, who has had a distinguished 40-year career in the manufacturing business, serves as chair of the board of directors for the James Cancer Center at Ohio State University. The Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人 Cancer Research Center will be in laboratory space on the second floor of ISU’s Science Building.

“Cancer will be cured one discovery at a time,波特说。, “and our hope is that one of these discoveries will be made by a student from Indiana State University via the Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人 Cancer Research Center — whether that discovery takes place at Indiana State University or at some future point in these students’ careers.

“That’s our ultimate hope, that somebody from Indiana State University will be a participant in a discovery that will cure one version of cancer.”

Dr. 克里斯托弗·奥尔森, Dean of ISU’s College of Arts and Sciences, called the 行李搬运工人s’ gift “incredibly generous.”

“Their passion for supporting cutting edge cancer research is inspiring, and hopefully leads to the great breakthrough that we all want,奥尔森说. “Their generosity will allow us to advance cancer research by recruiting top graduate students from around the world. 行李搬运工人 Research Fellows will have the financial support they need to work all year on cancer research in the lab, collaborating with our world-class faculty and pushing the boundaries of research at Indiana State University.”

ISU教务长Dr. Mike Licari: “We are grateful for Rich and Robin 行李搬运工人’s generous investment in Indiana State University. The 行李搬运工人s have long been passionate about cancer research, and I am excited to have the opportunity to connect that passion to ISU.”

在过去的13年, Rich 行李搬运工人 has worked in private equity, building a platform of manufacturing companies in Ohio and New Hampshire. He is President of TE-CO Manufacturing in Union, Ohio. 行李搬运工人’s professional career has spanned 40 years with companies including Kimball 国际, Rockwell 国际, and Ingersoll 国际.

The 行李搬运工人s have a history of giving to ISU. In 2015, Rich played an instrumental role in the donation of $500,000 in software to the College of Technology from Hurco Companies, where he serves on the board of directors.

In 2018, the 行李搬运工人s gave generously to create an interactive display for the track and field program. 他们加了25美元,000 gift to name the track and field conference room in honor of 行李搬运工人’s coach and mentor, 比尔马洛伊.