Ithaca College’s Department of Chemistry is expanding scholarship opportunities to incoming students. A $4.6 million estate gift was added to the Bill and Donna Bergmark Scholarship fund between February 2024 and March 2025, in one of the largest donations the school has received in about four years.

Named after the late professor and department chair Bill Bergmark and his wife Donna, the scholarship was established to honor chemistry and biochemistry majors with outstanding academic records. The scholarship and associated fund were established by Bergmark in 2017 and many faculty and alumni have contributed to the fund in Bergmark’s name over the years. Bergmark died Dec. 24 2023. The college announced Oct. 23 that the gift of his estate increased the fund’s amount by $4.56 million. Prior to this donation, the fund had $200,000.

Since 2018, one or two chemistry students have been selected by department faculty each year to be recipients of the scholarship. Andrew Torelli, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, said the donation will increase both the number of awards and the magnitude of assistance the scholarship provides.

“This new increase in the scholarship means that Ithaca College will be able to attract additional bright, motivated, interested students,” Torelli said. “We just hope that it gives chemistry and biochemistry and Ithaca College another opportunity to benefit new populations of students and bring some really talented individuals into our community.”

Mike Haaf ’94, professor in the Department of Chemistry, said it was Bergmark’s vision to create a cohort of scholars who are passionate about the sciences in every class. With the increased funds, the college will be able to offer incoming students a scholarship which they can carry with them all four years, as opposed to just offering the scholarship to current students.

“Going to any undergraduate school like Ithaca can be an expensive proposition, so the more funds we have to support it, the better,” Haaf said. “Incoming students who are really outstanding can be potentially offered these [scholarships] to help make coming to Ithaca more attractive.”

The estate gift will go into the college’s endowment. IC has an endowment of $437 million. During the Oct. 30 Dollars and Sense meeting, Tim Downs, senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, said the endowment was at its highest point ever. Downs said the endowment is not a savings account, but rather an investment that lives on for perpetuity.

“Our goal is intergenerational equity,” Downs said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure we’re stewarding this asset, which is our largest asset, appropriately, which means we’re taking out enough to help today’s students, and we’re allowing it to grow to help tomorrow’s students.”

The value of the endowment is always in flux as donations accrue interest and market conditions fluctuate. The amount the college withdraws from the endowment annually is based on a formula that averages the value of the endowment over the last five years. Downs said this means that donations such as Bergmark’s are not distributed immediately. 

“We need to let this appreciate so when we withdraw, the impact of that gift will always be to the full extent of the donor’s wishes,” Downs said. “That will likely take a couple of years before that gets fully implemented.”

The endowment is split into two parts, restricted and unrestricted. About 50% of the endowment is restricted, meaning the donor left specified instructions for how the funds should be spent. Bergmark’s gift is included in this category as the donation can only go towards the chemistry department. The college provides endowed scholarships for incoming and current students. Some are tied to a particular school or major, such as the Bergmark scholarship, while others are more general. 

“We have an obligation that the money from that gift is being used in the right spot,” Downs said.

Senior Rishabh Sen was a 2024 recipient of the Bill and Donna Bergmark Scholarship Award . He said when he first heard about the estate gift, he was excited about the recognition such a large donation could bring to the chemistry department.

“Showing students that they have this kind of financial support, that they have this kind of backing from the faculty and from alumni, really shows the robustness of our degree, the robustness of our alumni connections, and what a strong program we have for our students,” Sen said. 

Through participating in lab experiences, presenting at national conferences and co-authoring papers with professors, Haaf said student research is built into the chemistry program at IC. Every student is required to participate in at least one semester of research, but Torelli said most students continue their research experience beyond that.

“[Bergmark] and his colleagues really solidified a real important foundation in student-centered education and research,” Torelli said. “So that is still part of the ethos here, and you find it a lot in STEM at Ithaca College.”

Both Torelli and Haaf said the department’s smaller size means students and professors can work more closely together in the lab. Haaf said the department is committed to providing as many hands-on opportunities for students as possible. 

In 2024, the department awarded Sen a summer research fellowship when he, as an international student, struggled to receive national funding for an external research opportunity. 

“It’s just one of those amazing examples of how supportive the chemistry department was in making sure that I could chase my dreams and reach for the stars, if you will,” Sen said. 

For Haaf, an IC alum and one of Bergmark’s former students, the gift is representative of the community-focused culture found within the chemistry department — a culture he said Bergmark helped to cultivate. 

“He cared so much about the place that he wanted to ensure the legacy that he helped to start here would continue for the foreseeable future,” Haaf said. “He modeled what good teaching was and what being a good research mentor was.” 

The Department of Chemistry celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023, an event that both Sen and Torelli said showcased the supportive community environment of students and faculty, both past and present. Donations from department alumni and former faculty have been used to help fund everything from student research opportunities to conference travel expenses. 

“Education here at Ithaca College in chemistry has left a lasting impact for a lot of people that have continued to talk with our students and make opportunities available,” Torelli said. 

For department students and faculty, the donation from Bergmark is just another example of the way members of the IC chemistry community support one another. 

“This scholarship is another example of how faculty members, even from the past, are still benefiting the students,” Sen said. “It really sets a precedent for this amazing culture we have in the chemistry department, and I’m glad that the entire campus community is able to see that and experience that history along with me.”