Warm Welcomes Lasts a Lifetime

Acts of caring and kind words can make all the difference in the world. For Eric Sickler ’83, the actions by Central College admission staff on a cold, snowy Friday afternoon brought him to Central over 40 years ago. And he is forever grateful.

“I was a pre-med student for about a week and a half at Creighton University in Omaha. Then all my dreams went to pieces,” Sickler chuckles.

Now retired, he admits his first year of college at a larger metropolitan school helped him realize that he was not a metropolitan-school guy.

“I wanted to transfer and started visiting several schools in Iowa,” Sickler says. “On one cold, snowy Friday afternoon, after visiting a college and being disappointed by what I saw, my parents and I drove past the Pella exit and decided to drop in at Central.”

Even though it was a cold Friday at 4 o’clock, admission office staff at that time rolled out the red carpet and showed Sickler the kind of community that he was looking for.

“It’s a community of people who care, who are approachable, who are engaged, who are purposeful and intentional. It’s people who are together, taking care of each other,” Sickler says. “All of my interactions with Central — from the three years that I spent in school to the years I worked in Central’s admission office and then as a volunteer — have demonstrated the same kind of community care. I really am who I am, personally and professionally, due in large part to Central and the people who make up that community — great mentors and great friends. Family seems like a word that every college strives to use to describe itself but for me, Central is my family. And it started on a cold, snowy afternoon decades ago and it continues to this day.”

Sickler had been working toward full retirement for the past five years. He achieved that on Dec. 31, 2022.

“I am blessed beyond measure to be able to retire at this point in my life,” Sickler says. “As I began thinking about the remaining years of my existence on Earth, I realized I needed a plan. If I have money left over at the end of my life, where do I want it to go?”

He identified three primary beneficiaries for his individual retirement account that support causes near and dear to his heart, including Central. IRA distributions that transfer after death are not taxed as part of an estate. Establishing a nonprofit as the beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement account is extremely easy. Sickler took about five minutes to make the designation. The harder part is taking the time to think about who will receive a portion and how much to designate to causes.

“It gives me great peace, satisfaction and joy to know that I have those loose ends tied up,” he says.

Sickler did not set restrictions on his gift to Central. He wanted to allow the leadership of the future the ability to spend it as best needed.

“I respect, admire and trust our leadership — the board of trustees and administrative leaders on campus,” Sickler shares. “I want to support whatever they identify as the highest need and best use for funds. In doing so, it makes me very happy to pay it forward to a place that I owe a great deal to. It also demonstrates to the leadership that they are doing great work.”

Sickler reminds his fellow alumni to stop and take stock of the impact that Central relationships have had on their lives.

“It’s easy once you graduate from college to move on and focus on what is consuming your life now,” Sickler says. “I have worked with hundreds of colleges in one way, shape or form over my career. I’ve been on hundreds of campuses and talked with lots of college people. I think people forget how influential and impactful those four years of college are in shaping whom we become as people. It influences who we become as professionals and our success.”

“You need to purposefully take a breath, stop to reflect and remember,” Sickler says. “Then recognize that great work is still happening at your alma mater. It is absolutely happening at Central. So, show your love.”

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 get started.