![\"Jane](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2025\/10\/JaneDolanHeadshot250x300.jpg\")
\u201cWe\u2019re so honored to be trusted with a gift that embodies such meaning and promise,\u201d said Tina Freiburger, dean of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s College of Community Engagement & Professions. \u201cThis generous investment will pay dividends across the educational landscape through the exponential impact of each and every student it benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grippe has also donated $50,000 to the Wauwatosa School District and $40,000 annually for five years to the St. Francis Children\u2019s Center to benefit professional development and certification for their educators.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe generous donation allowed our educators to learn at their own pace while building a shared foundation of essential knowledge, ensuring everyone began the year prepared,\u201d said Brenda Jones, Wauwatosa School District JK-5 humanities coordinator.<\/p>\n
The gifts reflect a commitment to helping students and educators overcome the challenges that many of them face and enhancing access to ongoing educational opportunities.\u00a0It\u2019s the latest link in a long legacy shared by Grippe and Dolan, who passed away in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both had a philosophy: Learning is a constant, with no holy grail,\u201d Grippe said. \u201cWith that mindset, we were always working with people to become more skillful in what they did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Committed to education<\/h2>\n
The couple\u2019s multifaceted love story dates back four decades. Dolan and Grippe married, attended 51ÁÔÆæ, grew a family, and through it all, remained committed to the transformative power of education.<\/p>\n
Dolan (\u201989 BBA Industrial Relations) became a human resources executive as well as an instructor at area universities, including 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Executive MBA program. She was an active volunteer and started a successful consulting and coaching business that taught leaders how to achieve the best results for themselves and their teams.\u00a0She also served on the board of directors for the St. Francis Children\u2019s Center, including a term as board president.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team is deeply grateful to Randy for this meaningful contribution in Jane’s memory,\u201d said Laura Felix, executive director of St. Francis Children\u2019s Center. \u201cJane’s passion for education and advocacy for children lives on through this investment in our educators, which will strengthen our programs for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grippe (\u201904 BA Political Science, \u201909 MS Education) built a career in the hospitality industry, and launched a successful specialty bakery and deli. Then he taught the hospitality curriculum for students at Waukesha County Technical College, where he remains a hotel and restaurant management instructor.<\/p>\n
Grippe hopes this support nurtures talent and fosters a love of learning for generations to come, while also inspiring others to make similar gifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe motivation for the donation, and in particular in Jane\u2019s name, was to give back to the community,\u201d Randy says. \u201cWe were both so dedicated to education.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Randy Grippe is donating $525,000 to the 51ÁÔÆæ Foundation, and even more to other area educational institutions, in honor of his late wife, Jane Dolan, and the couple\u2019s lifelong passion for education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40008,"featured_media":150019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,200],"tags":[],"section":[125,122],"display_categories":[352,116],"related-coverage":[207],"uwmnews-feed":[167,347,148],"class_list":["post-150018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-in-brief","section-alumni","section-campus-community","display_categories-top-story-tertiary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-teaching","uwmnews-feed-alumni-association","uwmnews-feed-community-engagement-professions","uwmnews-feed-education"],"yoast_head":"\n