Greenwald sets up business scholarship

PERU – Peru State College announced a new business scholarship set up by 1971 alumnus and Chairman of the Peru State College Foundation Board Jeff Greenwald.

The scholarship is for business majors with priority for graduates of Lincoln Southeast and Falls City high schools.

Greenwald spent his early life in Falls City and worked in the insurance industry in Lincoln.

 

Here is the college’s press release

For someone who, by his own admission, had little to do with his alma mater for more than 40 years after graduation, Jeff Greenwald has been catching up fast in recent years.

The 1971 alumnus, who has chaired the Peru State College Foundation Board for the past two years (and is again in 2024), has created the Jeff Greenwald Scholarship with the Foundation.

Recipients will be business majors, with the first choice being graduates of Lincoln (Neb.) Southeast High School and second choice to graduates from Falls City (Neb.) High. Recipients can renew the scholarship if they remain in good academic standing.

Greenwald spent his early life in Falls City before his family moved to Lincoln, attending Southeast High. He then enrolled in the University, but noted that after an admittedly enjoyable first year, he “wasn’t invited back.”

But his mother had attended Peru State, and he had an uncle in Lincoln who was acquainted with then-President Neal Gomon. To Jeff’s surprise, he one day got a call from Pres. Gomon encouraging him to enroll that fall.

As Greenwald noted, it’s hard to say no to a college president; he went to Peru the next day, and just that quickly he was a Bobcat. And this time, Greenwald chose to take advantage of the opportunity and pay his academic dues on his way to a degree.

After completing his studies, he moved on, enjoying an extraordinarily successful career in the insurance industry in Nebraska. He and his wife Judy raised a family, he built a company, and other than occasional visits with friends from college days, he didn’t have much to do with Peru.

That all changed in 2019 when he sold his insurance business and retired. Lincoln friends Butch (‘69) and Dobey Haws – Jeff knew Butch from Falls City – introduced him to former college President Dan Hanson.

“I was invited to join the Foundation board and encouraged by Dr. Hanson along with Butch and Dobey to accept,” Greenwald noted.

Since then, Greenwald has generously supported numerous causes and campaigns with the Foundation, as well as giving significant amounts of his own time and energy. Now, he has decided to add his name to the list – now approaching 200 – who have permanently endowed funds with the Peru State College Foundation.