North Idaho College retiree Rolly Jurgens and his wife Jeannie believe education is the key to opening doors to help individuals support themselves and their families.
Rolly and Jeannie met at college in Sioux City, Iowa, and were married in 1968. The couple moved to Idaho in 1984. Rolly served as dean of administration NIC until he retired in 2010. Jeannie attended NIC and went on to earn a master’s degree in education from the University of Idaho. Jeannie taught middle school in Coeur d’Alene for 15 years before retiring.
“North Idaho College is a part of me,” says Rolly. “I still stay connected with other retirees who I collaborated with through the years.”
Rolly fondly recalls the days when there was no email and internet at NIC, and the faculty did not have desk phones. His colleagues were bringing NIC into the age of technology and Rolly worked to find funding for the project. He remembers using his first electronic spreadsheet and putting away his 13-column accounting pad.
Through the years, Rolly and Jeannie felt empathy for struggling students who did not have enough money to continue their education. Rolly remembers working with a single mother who was out of options. He reached out to the NIC Foundation and found a scholarship to help her.
The couple later established the Rolly and Jeannie Jurgens Scholarship endowment through the NIC Foundation to assist students in perpetuity.
“Jeannie and I were both in education and we wanted to do our part,” says Rolly.
Rolly and Jeannie have chosen to continue their support of NIC in future years through their estate plan.
“There is no reason not to continue our support after our lifetime. The need will still be there,” Rolly says.
The Jurgens have joined an honorable circle of NIC supporters as members of the NIC Foundation’s Legacy Society. Membership in the Legacy Society is as simple as designating the NIC Foundation as a beneficiary of your will, trust, life insurance or retirement account.
For more information on how you can leave your legacy, contact the NIC Foundation at (208) 769-5978. Explore our free planning resources.