Couple Endows New Deanship

A couple appreciated as stalwart supporters of Grinnell College have announced they will support a new deanship aimed at helping students succeed in life after Grinnell.

Grinnell Trustee Patricia Jipp Finkelman ’80 and her husband, Daniel Finkelman ’77, of Granville, Ohio, committed $1.5 million to a deanship at Grinnell’s Center for Careers, Life, and Service.

The Daniel ’77 and Patricia Jipp Finkelman ’80 Deanship will support internships, mentoring, job shadowing, skill development, and other opportunities that prepare Grinnell students for what the donors call “a satisfying, remunerative, flexible, and productive career and life.”

“The odds are very slim that today’s graduate will stay in the same profession for 40 years,” the Finkelmans say. “Whether a student is interested in academia, business, the professions, arts, nonprofit service, or other career paths, we want to make sure they’re prepared to pursue their goals for life after Grinnell — and be successful in achieving those goals.”

“This gift is intended as an ‘and,’ rather than an ‘or,’” Dan Finkelman adds. “We hope it will reinforce and enhance the outstanding work Grinnell faculty and staff are already doing to prepare students for a rewarding life intellectually, professionally, and personally.”

President Raynard S. Kington applauds the donors’ vision. “Through their mentorship, volunteer leadership, and philanthropy, Patricia and Dan Finkelman have already helped many individual students draw on their Grinnell education to achieve their career and life goals,” Kington says. “At a time of heightened public attention to the value of higher education, they are helping place Grinnell in the very top rank of schools that simultaneously encourage students’ love for learning and their ability to live fulfilling, impactful lives.”

Patricia Finkelman, a former health-care policy consultant who works with a variety of nonprofits and community organizations, serves on the College’s Board of Trustees and chairs its Trustees and Trustee Organization Committee. She served on the College’s Alumni Council 1991–98, including a 1997–98 term as Council President. Dan Finkelman, a nationally recognized marketing expert and former senior vice president of Alliance Data Systems and Limited Brands, as well as a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, has taught short courses and seminars on campus, served as a mentor and adviser to numerous Grinnellians, and provided internships to students over several decades.

Dan Finkelman majored in economics and history at Grinnell and has an M.B.A. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. Patricia Finkelman majored in economics at Grinnell and in 1987 received her master’s in public and private management from the Yale University School of Management.

“The shifting landscape of higher education and ongoing uncertainty in today’s marketplace call for innovations in career development and preparation,” says Mark Peltz, the first Finkelman dean. “Patricia and Dan’s generosity not only signals their compassion for helping future generations of Grinnellians pursue an array of career pathways, but also reflects their leadership and steadfast service to the College.”