Around the World and Back to Central

“My international experiences while I was a Central College student played such an important role in my life. I want to give future generations of Central students similar opportunities,” says John Lucas ’92. “It directly shaped who I am and what I do. I wanted to show my appreciation.”

Lucas created a living trust and named Central as one of the recipients of his estate when he passes from this world. His love for language and international exploration led to a career in international student exchange programs. He is the president and CEO of ISEP in Washington, D.C., which serves more than 350 colleges and universities in 60 countries.

“I don’t plan on leaving this world for a while,” Lucas says optimistically. “But it does feel good to designate my budget and beneficiaries. I travel all the time and am gone a lot. Knowing I have my decisions down on paper gives me peace of mind. It’s scary to think about, but it is much easier to do than you think. It was a load off my mind.

“Education really mattered to me, both personally and professionally. Central really hooked me on global learning,” Lucas adds.

He chose to make his gift designation at Central broad in scope. He designated it to internationalization and didn’t put restrictions on his estate gift. He believes the collegiate-level international study will be vastly different 20, 30 or 40 years from now.

“The world is an increasingly complicated and interdependent place. All the challenges we are trying to solve, whether it’s climate change, global health or war, will not be solved by an individual or individual country,” Lucas says. “We’re going to address these things together. The challenges we face were not built by one person or nation. We must make sure the next generation has that global education. Whether or not Central graduates stay in Iowa, they will be globally connected.”

Estate planning is important. It protects your loved ones while giving you control to designate who receives your assets. An estate plan allows you to set up charitable gifts to your favorite nonprofits, protects family wealth, avoids large tax liabilities and can help avoid the courts dividing your assets.

Including Central in your will or estate plan is a testament to the values and ideals you hold dear — having a heart for others — and is one of the most meaningful ways to support generations of students to come. To create your own legacy at Central, contact Deb Calderwood at 641-628-5138 or calderwoodd@central.edu to get started.