The NIU Foundation :: Ruth Ashelford Pollock

The late Ruth Ashelford Pollock

Quoted from Ruth's acceptance speech when she won the NIU Foundation Award for Lifetime Giving.

When people ask me why I give, my answer is very simple:

I give to help people.

My journey through life taught me to value one thing above all else…humanity.

Supporting education makes good business sense, and a good business person likes to see how things are run. That’s why it has been important to me to see my impact on students over my lifetime.

The qualities I want to reward in students are hard-work, discipline, and responsibility...but above all...I want to reward students who demonstrate humanity.

One of the greatest thrills is to give a student who doesn’t realize his or her potential a little push…philanthropy does that…it gives us all a little push.

“Philanthropy can give us all a little push.” Ruth

The late Ruth Pollock's strength, generosity, and loving heart made her a cherished member of the NIU family. She was a leadership donor for the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center, and she touched the lives of students in disciplines across campus with generous scholarships.