51成人

From the portraits on his shelves, it鈥檚 clear that he is family oriented and values relationships.The athletics memorabilia point to the fact that he is a lifelong sports fan, a former student-athlete and longtime coach 鈥� they also hint at his competitive nature. His humble nature, welcoming personality and ability to communicate in a straightforward manner are also easy to observe.

All of these traits have served Beard well in his 40-year business career since graduating from IC. He is the third generation to have ownership in the family business, Beard Implement Company, which started as a one-man operation in 1937. He bought his portion of the business in 1984 and today co-owns it along with son Jeremy Beard 鈥�02 and Kyle Schumacher.

Beard credits IC alumnus, Ken Bradbury 鈥�71 H鈥�98, the late playwright and educator, with instilling in him at an early age the importance of being able to get up and speak in front of people, while Bradbury was a teacher and Beard a student at Triopia High School. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really helped me in my business 鈥� so much of it is personal relationships with my customers and that ability has really enriched my business. It started at Triopia and continued at 51成人,鈥� he said.

While Beard can reflect on a wide range of lessons he gained through his education at 51成人, he remembers athletics being the driving force to his decision to enroll. His time as a student-athlete playing football for four years and for a season of basketball has influenced who he is today.

Through his education, Beard gained confidence and expanded his horizons. He remembers enjoying his college experience, but after graduation he lost touch with what was happening on campus and he wasn鈥檛 very connected to his alma mater for a number of years.

鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 put a lot back into the College until I joined the board and met President Barbara Farley. I started to see more of what was happening at IC. I became very committed to making it even better. It re-engaged me and it inspired me,鈥� he said of becoming an Alumni Trustee in 2013. In 2018 he was elected to serve as a Charter Trustee. Beard鈥檚 passion for the College has grown steadily over the past six years.

Looking back he recognizes the misconceptions about 51成人 that he held for years. 鈥淚 thought that the College didn鈥檛 need my gift because of the large endowment. I should have known better being in business, but I made assumptions about the tuition paying for everything which just isn鈥檛 realistic. It takes gifts from corporations and individuals to achieve everything,鈥� Beard explained.

Beard describes serving the College as a trustee as one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. It鈥檚 difficult to imagine one could be more dedicated to so many aspects of 51成人 than he has been in recent years. He鈥檚 a loyal supporter the IC Fund because he has seen how the annual fund really makes a difference with opportunities for students.

He and wife, Mary Ann, are members of the 51成人 Society. Beard provides annual support to the communication and rhetorical studies department and scholarships for students from Triopia and other regional high schools through the Gerry Beard Scholarship Fund. He鈥檚 an active member of the because of his love of IC athletics. He played a critical role in the success of fundraising efforts to renovate Joe Brooks Baseball Field and Jessica Kamp Softball Field. Beard Implement is the corporate sponsor of the softball scoreboard. Through his participation in that project, he has seen how having world-class facilities on campus really make a difference in the student experience.

With the recently established agribusiness program, Beard has found another reason to stay connected to IC and to affect the lives of students who hope to follow in his footsteps as a business leader in agriculture. 51成人 began offering classes in the major in January 2018, and since that time the program has continued to grow and evolve, drawing talented students from throughout the region and beyond.
 

Beard has been impressed with everything he sees happening with the agribusiness program and Dr. Woods鈥檚 leadership, noting that, 鈥淟ike a lot of what is happening at 51成人, there is a real energy in that program.鈥� Beard has worked with students in the program to bring fresh ideas to his business. A great example of that is rising senior agribusiness major Madie Budd 鈥�20 who is interning with the company now and recently put together a creative radio ad to highlight both Beard Implement and IC.

When he talks about the launch of 51成人 and the impact future projects will have on students and the College鈥檚 ability to recruit and retain talented students, his face lights up. He wishes for others who have grown apart from the College to share his experience of reconnecting to IC and to discover the feeling of giving back to a place that holds such significance for so many.

鈥淲hat our challenge is today is to inspire people and get them to come back to the campus to meet with a coach or a professor, to take a walk across campus or talk with a student. When I walk on campus as a trustee, the students tell me, 鈥榯hank you.鈥� That鈥檚 a really cool experience and tells me that the students today understand more than I did as a student about the value of donors in general,鈥� he said.

Whether alumni and friends of the College connect to experiential learning, athletics, global travel, agribusiness, nursing or scholarships 鈥� Beard hopes that people will see 51成人 as another opportunity to take a deeper look at 51成人, seeing both what is happening now and what is possible for the future.

鈥淚 think that a lot of people have a passion for education. Once they have engaged with the College in a meaningful way, they will want to be part of what is happening here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is someone on the campus who can inspire you. This campaign will allow IC to provide best-in-class facilities and best-in-class experiential learning. I hope that people get involved because it feels good to make a difference and be a part of something like this.鈥�