In 2014 alone, TFAS supported students with $1.6 million in scholarship money. Without this support, hundreds of students every year would not be able to experience living in major world cities, meeting people from around the world and learning from brilliant TFAS faculty.
Due to the opportunities the TFAS community provides for students each year, many alumni find ways to give back and support other students to go to TFAS. Some alumni have even generously included TFAS in their future financial planning to seed the continuation of impactful programs. Including TFAS in your financial plans is possible through The Legacy Society.
Out of 66 supporters that have included TFAS in their will or estate plan, at least seven are alumni, including Rosanne Lienhard Plante (IPJ 92, AIPES 93). Plante participated in the Institute on Political Journalism Program (IPJ) in 1992 and attended the inaugural American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in Prague in 1993.
“TFAS brought me the world. That’s why it’s so important for me to provide financial support to them. Without their investment in me I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Plante said.
As a college student Plante worked to put herself through school because she came from a single-parent family. When she applied to TFAS in 1992, she declined her acceptance due to the financial commitment. When she told the IPJ program director at the time, Larry Guillemette, he found a way to hep her.
TFAS Founder David R. Jones’ wife had recently passed away at the time, and he wanted to establish a scholarship in her honor. Plante was the first recipient of the scholarship and traveled to D.C. for a summer that expanded her boundaries in many ways. She interned with the White House Fellows and had a wonderful experience.
“It was a summer to remember and that is when I decided to be a lawyer. A lot of the White House Fellows were attorneys and I saw what you could do with a law degree,” Plante said. “So that’s what I did. TFAS helped me make a big life decision.”
The following summer, TFAS asked Plante to be a part of the inaugural class of students in Prague, at the inception of the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES). Plante traveled to Europe for the first time and met with students from evolving Central European and Eastern European countries.
“The most important thing TFAS does is talk about how America was founded and why we are special,” Plante said of the experience.
At the conclusion of the Prague program Plante headed back to her native state to attend law school at the University of Iowa.
Throughout her professional career, Plante has worked in roles ranging from corporate lawyer, to city attorney, to her current position as a professor and advisor of Paralegal Studies at Western Iowa Tech Community College. Plante built the program from the beginning and has since started a Human Resources track for students too.
“I worked hard and had some investments, so I thought about where I would want my money to go outside of my family. To me the question was obvious. I wouldn’t be where I am without TFAS,” Plante said.
As she recently celebrated a new marriage, Plante’s wishes are known and understood by her new husband and family. She hopes some day her support may be used to create a self-sustaining scholarship for TFAS students.
“What I would say to other alumni is if TFAS invested in you and you feel it benefitted your life, you should invest in TFAS. That is how TFAS will go on,” Plante said.
For more information on how you can join The Legacy Society, visit www.TFAS.org/Legacy.