2025 Partners in Philanthropy Keystone Award: Jane and Jay Jorgensen

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[Jane Jorgensen:] Why did you go to IU? What could you change? I love IU for the experiences it has given me.

[Jay Jorgensen:] She lives and breathes it. I mean, she has it in her heart to help these things, and there's always a good reason.

[J T. Forbes:] Jane.

>> Jane.

>> Jane.

>> Jane.

[Joyce Rogers:] She is just a force to be reckoned with. [Grace Sims:] She is not afraid to say what's on her mind.

Dr. Alicia Kozma:] Jane's a people person, and people feel that on a real and genuine level. [J T. Forbes:] Wildly useful and seriously fun. And I think of Jane that way.

[Laura Stachowski:] She takes such an interest in each student that's supported by her scholarship.

[J T. Forbes:] Because she just cares so much about the university, and Jay has been there with her all the way.

[Jane Jorgensen:] He's got a huge heart.

[Jay Jorgensen:] I'd describe my wife as a person that likes to get all the knowledge she can, and then she goes into it with a full heart.

[Curt Simic:] I love Jay and Jane Jorgensen. The wonderful things about the two of them together is they're broadly interested.

[J T. Forbes:] Jay has been such a great partner in Jane's trailblazing work to really pay attention to the paths that have not been traveled here, things that often others might not see.

[Jane Jorgensen:] I know what makes a good visual. The cinema is a large building, but it doesn't have our name on it because it's for everyone.

[Dr. Alicia Kozma:] Jane's work with the cinema has been incredibly brave. It was a diamond in the rough. She's not getting involved in something that isn't going to have the impact, and so it's been absolutely transformative for us. A movie is never just a movie. It is part of the fabric of who we are, and without patronage, unfortunately, that fabric starts to unravel.

[Grace Sims:] It's been game-changing to know that philanthropy, or just simply investing in the lives of students, can take so many shapes and forms.

[Jane Jorgensen:] The DEI scholarship completely started with an idea.

[J T. Forbes:] She saw the gap that's often created for students who often are underrepresented here.

[Joyce Rogers:] It's a scholarship program, but it's really focused on putting students with leaders so they are on the job learning how to be a leader.

[Grace Sims:] I was actually a Jane Jorgensen Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion intern. It was the first time somebody was like, "Hey, you're good at something, and we want to help you develop that."

[Jane Jorgensen:] I'm all about kids getting an opportunity, and if that means some groups aren't represented well enough, then let me help them.

[Grace Sims:] And now I'm even inspired. Like, how can I make an internship in the future so that students aren't just walking away from their college experience with a four-year degree; they're leaving with tangible career experience? And that's what it's been able to give me.

[Jane Jorgensen:] We train incredible students at IU. Why are we not keeping them here? Because we need a good diversity around campus.

[Grace Sims:] I know I would have never had the confidence to even look at that pathway if I wasn't affirmed through this internship program.

[Leslie Kaiser:] The reason that Jane and Jay Jorgensen are so fitting to receive the Keystone Award is because their gifts are not targeted at one area. They're not targeted at one school or campus.

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[Jane Jorgensen:] Don't be afraid to be someone different. Don't be afraid to step out of the box.

[Laura Stachowski:] This program has been around for more than 50 years now as an opportunity for our teacher candidates to get them, you know, outside of Indiana into schools and communities where there's much greater diversity. Jane decided that she wanted to support our program, and, you know, you can just see the difference it makes.

[Matt Hilbrich:] Every single day of my overseas teaching experience, I was pushed beyond my comfort zone, challenged to see the world through a global lens, and inspired to adapt, connect, and grow in ways I never imagined possible.

[Rachel Knuttel Thompson:] I still think about that trip.

[Kevin Melrose:] That was by far one of the most profound experiences I've had in my entire lifetime.

[Sophia Feightner:] Coming here, I have been so welcomed, and I feel so supported.

[Lauren White:] That was actually what led me to going to IU.

[Rachel Knuttel Thompson:] I learned so much on that trip, and I feel like it really prepared me to be a teacher today.

[Lauren White:] And I'm still here teaching after graduating.

[Megan Jerrells:] You have allowed me to sit at a table that I otherwise don't know if I would have been able to sit at, and you've also allowed me to pull up chairs for my future students. And for that, I am so grateful.

[Sophia Feightner:] So truly, from the bottom of my heart, thanks, Jane and Jay. It means a lot.

[Kevin Melrose:] Thank you, Jane and Jay. This experience has changed my life.

[Rachel Knuttel Thompson:] I really appreciate you more than you know.

[Matt Hilbrich:] I speak for every Jorgensen family Global Gateway Scholarship recipient when I say your generosity truly changes lives.

[Jane Jorgensen:] This is what we do. This is what donors do.

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That was 1970. I didn't make enough money in my summer jobs. When I went to the financial aid office, they called me and said, "We have a grant for you. So I said, "Okay, so when do I have to pay it back?" And they're like, "No. No, you don't pay it back." And I'm like, "Well, yeah, you do? I mean, nobody's just going to give me money. And he said, "Actually, they do." These are donors who have made money available -- -- to students who need support." And I'm sure they said, "Someday, maybe you will, too." And that's what started it. And I guess we are. Hey, it's me again. And, shocker, I had a few more things I wanted to say. It was imperative that I -- while I love and Jay and I are very appreciative of this recognition, I know that it's because of so many people working behind the scenes. And I know who you are, and you know who you are, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.