Jerry Reisinger Parks and Natural Resources Leadership Scholarship
Help Us Support the Jerry Reisinger Parks and Natural Resources Leadership Scholarship
We are pleased to announce a new scholarship for Kirkwood Community College students: the Jerry Reisinger Parks and Natural Resources Leadership Scholarship.
Jerry was a full-time instructor in the Parks and Natural Resources program at Kirkwood, retiring in 2020. Prior to joining Kirkwood, Jerry spent 38 years working for Iowa State Parks, managing seven state parks before becoming a district supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). He was district supervisor for 13 state parks in southwest Iowa before transferring to the northeast district where he supervised 14 state parks.
Jerry retired from the Iowa DNR in 2008. He then came to Kirkwood where he taught for 12 years. Nearly all of the students in Jerry’s classes wanted to eventually do what Jerry once did: work in park operations in government parks.
A $2,000 annual scholarship was recently established in Jerry’s name in celebration of his accomplishments, decades of service, dedication to the preservation of Iowa’s natural resources, and his excitement and passion for educating future conservation professionals.
This scholarship, which was established by an anonymous donor, will be awarded to one student in the Parks and Natural Resources program each academic year. This student will be one who shows exceptional leadership qualities and stands out above others in their cohort. Instructors, faculty, and the Kirkwood Foundation will collectively select the appropriate candidate for this competitive scholarship.
While this scholarship is currently being funded in its entirety by the anonymous donor, the long-term vision is for this to become an endowed scholarship. An endowed scholarship is created when donated money is invested and the earnings are used to permanently fund the annual scholarship.
Scholarships reduce financial barriers, provide a golden opportunity for education and training, and make a tremendous impact in the lives of students and their families. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $20,000 to permanently fund this scholarship and perpetuate Jerry’s legacy.
Please help us create the foundation for this scholarship to become self-sustaining. The more that’s donated, the more the scholarship recipient benefits! Online gifts can be made below. Checks may be made payable to the Kirkwood Foundation with “Jerry Reisinger Scholarship” written in the subject line and mailed to: Kirkwood Foundation, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404.