Alumnus donates $1.35 million to support scholarships for student-veterans

As a veteran of the Vietnam War, alumnus Greg Geaman understands the sacrifices America’s soldiers make for our country. In recognition of those who have given so much, he recently donated $250,000 to fund scholarships for student-veterans studying engineering at The Ohio State University, which will be renewed in 2022, as well as a $1.1 million estate gift that will endow the scholarships, enabling them to support student-veterans in perpetuity.

“I want to recognize people who have made a contribution to their country and help them start their lives without a lot of debt so they can focus on their careers and families,” Geaman said.

A former $500 scholarship recipient himself, Geaman (’70, welding engineering) knows the difference scholarships can make for students. The Gregory N. Geaman Family Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships for undergraduate student-veterans who served on active duty or were mobilized or deployed and are currently pursuing an engineering degree. It will also provide a $2,000 annual scholarship to a student in the Veteran Community Advocate Program, which places student-veterans in university offices to serve as liaisons.

The Geaman Family Scholarship aims to help veterans whose GI benefits have been exhausted, something that 30 to 35 percent of the veterans currently enrolled at Ohio State experience, said Michael Carrell, assistant vice provost and director of Ohio State’s Office of Military & Veterans Services.

The full GI bill covers four years of tuition, Carrell explained, but since 43 percent of engineering students take five years to complete their degree programs, the scholarships are even more critical in helping Buckeye engineers graduate.

“This is going to make a huge impact in a student’s life for sure,” he said. “It will really change people’s lives and help them get to the finish line and get that degree.”

By alleviating the financial burden, student-veterans can focus on their new mission, Carrell said. “They had a mission in the military, now their mission is to be a student, succeed and graduate.”

Geaman sees helping those who have served as a win-win for recipients and society because of the unique qualifications they can contribute. Although he never worked as an engineer, he values the analytical and problem-solving mindset that he gained at Ohio State. That mindset combined with the military training he received contributed to his success, Geaman said.

“If I look at my career, which I would say was relatively successful, the big thing is I used my engineering background and what I was taught at Ohio State as a basis,” he said. “Plus the military execution and dedication to completing the mission—that you execute and deliver what you promise at all cost. Those two things served me well in my career.”

Drafted into the U.S. Army during his final year at Ohio State, Geaman’s military service began within two months of graduation. Within six months, he was in Vietnam, where he served for 10 months and 26 days.

After returning home and earning his MBA at Ohio State, Geaman began working for DuPont, one of the few companies he felt valued military service at that turbulent time. Five years later he was recruited to work at ICI, a British company that was later acquired by Hunstman Corporation—a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals. Geaman worked for ICI and Huntsman for over 30 years, climbing the ranks to become a vice president in charge of a global business with revenues over $1 billion.

Working for and knowing Huntsman Corporation founder and billionaire philanthropist Jon Hunstman influenced Geaman’s views on philanthropy.

“Having worked for him, I’ve always given to veterans’ and other charities,” he said. “I believe in the idea that if you are successful, you should give back.”

Geaman hopes the scholarships also might inspire recipients to consider paying forward.

“It’s a way to help a few people, and hopefully some of them will become very successful and give back to somebody else someday,” he said.

by Candi Clevenger, College of Engineering Communications, clevenger.87@osu.edu