Presidents Leadership Class donation expands scholarships, experiential learning
A CU Boulder family with 100 years of history at the university has committed $2.15 million to expand scholarships and experiential learning for students in the Presidents Leadership Class (PLC).ĚýĚý
The Ruyle Family Scholarship, originally established in 2016, now provides up to four years of funding for selected PLC scholars through the family’s $2 million endowment gift — providing students with the financial means to achieve their academic goals. An additional $150,000 will support the Dr. Larry Allen Endowment Fund for experiential learning programs within PLC.Ěý
Robert A. Ruyle and Lydia Miller Ryule
These new investments were estate gifts from Robert A. Ruyle (Law’59), who passed away in July of 2024, and his late wife, Lydia Miller Ruyle (Econ, PolSci’57), as designated by their three children and their spouses: Stephen (MCDBio’80) and Stephanie Ruyle, Margaret (Chem’83) and Daniel Rukstalis, and Robin (Class’84) and Keith (Econ’84) Struve.ĚýĚý
The family’s contribution honors their long-standing family history at CU — stretching back generations to the 1920s — as well as their experience with PLC.ĚýĚý
Creating impact in the Presidents Leadership Class Ěý
Established in 1972, PLC is an interdisciplinary, 4-year leadership program at CU Boulder that offers an immersive approach to leadership development. Driven by academic and experiential programming, a diverse community of undergraduates learns how to step boldly into their roles as the next generation of leaders.Ěý ĚýĚý
“PLC makes you a better citizen — unafraid to use your voice,” said Stephanie. “Giving kids the skills and courage to do that is really important.”Ěý
Since 2016, the Ruyle Family Scholarship has provided PLC students with scholarships, offsetting the cost of tuition and helping students to focus on their schoolwork. Now, the family’s expanded endowment will ensure the program can provide support for all four years to students in underserved or underrepresented communities.ĚýĚý
“It’s lack of opportunities that holds people back — and one of the biggest lack of opportunities is financial,” said Robin. “We want to make sure people from underrepresented areas — geographically, culturally, racially — can attend CU and be part of the PLC program.” Ěý
The scholarship now provides $10,000 a year (for up to four years) for students who meet one or more of the following criteria: 1) first-generation students from a rural area of Colorado; 2) members of a federally recognized Indian Tribe from the Rocky Mountain region, or 3) underrepresented students from Colorado.Ěý
Existing students are already benefiting from the scholarship’s support.Ěý Ěý
“The rich perspectives in PLC are what helps me grow every day,” said SantĂ© Crutcher (Physio’26), a PLC student and Ruyle Scholar who currently serves as the program’s service coordinator.ĚýĚý
“It is a community of people committed to making the world a better place for those who follow in our footsteps. PLC is a program that gives back what you give it.”Ěý
100 years (and counting!) at CU BoulderĚý
The Ruyle family’s connection to CU has extended over the past century. The first family member to attend, David Jacob Miller (SocSci’1929; Law’1932), studied law and even brushed elbows with future Supreme Court justice Byron White. His daughter, Lydia, later attended as part of the first class of Boettcher Scholars in the mid-1950s. Her future husband, Robert, followed her there to attend law school, and together they cemented their family legacy as Forever Buffs.Ěý
The extended Ruyle family
Eager to carry on the family tradition, the Ruyles’ three children, Stephen, Margaret and Robin, also attended CU. They were all part of the Presidents Leadership Class in its early days — with their father, Robert, serving as one of the program’s early trustees, as well as a CU Foundation trustee.ĚýĚý
“We grew up with tremendous learning opportunities for four generations of fun at CU,” said Margaret. “Since PLC includes students from all departments and classes, I was blessed to learn and work together with my brother, sister, friends and leaders in Colorado’s private and public sectors — and we continue to support positive changes in Colorado, the U.S. and the world.”Ěý
The extended Ruyle family has continued to serve as advocates, supporters and fans of the university over many decades. Stephen, Stephanie and Robin have also served on the PLC Board of Advocates, and the whole family was instrumental in selecting CU Boulder and the PLC program as beneficiaries of their parents’ estate gift.Ěý
“Giving back to the community is part of our family’s DNA,” said Robin.Ěý
But the family connection to CU doesn’t stop there. Three of Robert and Lydia’s grandkids have also attended: Katie Struve Binswanger (IntlAf’15), Bridger Ruyle (EnvEngr’17) and Remi Ruyle (Phys, Span’20).Ěý Ěý
Bridger and Remi are also PLC graduates — another reason the family chose to honor the program with their significant gift.Ěý
Their family’s long history with the university is a testament to the power of higher education, according to Stephen. “I look at education like a societal IRA — if you’re going to have good citizens and a society that’s productive, education is the building block of all of it,” he said. “Higher education is the foundation for a successful society.”Ěý
Upholding the family legacyĚý
By expanding their scholarship and supporting students through the PLC program, the Ruyle family is cementing their role as stewards of the CU Boulder mission. Ěý
“Education was core to both my parents,” said Stephen. To continue his parents’ tradition of generosity, he said it was a “no-brainer” to invest his parents’ estate gift in a place so meaningful to the whole family.Ěý
And their impact will carry on for generations to come.ĚýĚý
“I was a classics major, and part of the classical tradition is that you live on as long as somebody remembers you,” said Robin. “We hope people will remember the generosity of our family — and that we can impact and change students’ lives.”Ěý