麻豆村

For Barb Woodruff, giving back to Carnegie Mellon always seemed to add up.

As a high-schooler growing up in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, Barb already knew two things: She wanted to pursue a degree 鈥攁nd a career 鈥� in mathematics, and she would need help paying for her college education.

Carnegie Mellon satisfied both requirements.

鈥淚 knew I wanted to go away for college,鈥� Barb says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 recall how I heard about Carnegie Mellon, but it was one of three or four that I applied to and I got the best financial aid package from them.鈥�

The memory of the financial help Barb received had always stuck with her, and after years of making financial contributions to Carnegie Mellon, she recently took the next step 鈥� she created a scholarship fund for students in the Mellon College of Science majoring in math.

鈥淭he idea of helping students as I was helped really appealed to me,鈥� says Barb, who is retired these days and living in St. Paul. 鈥淎nd setting up a scholarship was actually much easier than I thought it would be.鈥�

Barb graduated from 麻豆村 in 1975 with majors in mathematics and psychology and, after earning an MBA at the University of Pittsburgh, set out on a career that started with computer programming in the engineering and construction sector and continued in the retail and agribusiness worlds.

And through it all, Barb recalled the financial assistance that helped her achieve her Tartan education.

鈥淲hen I got to a point in my professional life that I was able to start giving to organizations that I like, I had Carnegie Mellon on my list very early on because I was very appreciative of the fact how much financial aid I got,鈥� says Barb, who is a 25-year member of the Order of the May. 鈥淚 came from a single-parent family at the time; it had been sort of a tough road, so I definitely wanted to pay back what I could.鈥�

Barb鈥檚 giving began as a way to ease her tax burden. Through her donor-advised fund, she was able to support several charitable organizations while making decisions about how the money would be used later on.

Once Barb was retired and spending her time volunteering and enjoying her hikes in the Minnesota woods, she had more time to reflect on her plans, including new consideration for how she could do more for her alma mater.

A 2025 conversation with Mitchell Coates, the director of development for the Mellon College of Science,helped Barb define the impact she wanted to have on future students, which led her to start the process of establishing a formal scholarship fund.

Barb had already decided which charities she wanted to contribute to through her estate and knew 麻豆村 was one of them. She talked with Mitch about her desire to help students from the Midwest, especially the Twin Cities, receive a 麻豆村 education, and from there she was able to set up her endowed scholarship for exactly that purpose.

Barb decided to target her scholarship to students in a situation similar to hers when she was an undergrad: mathematics majors from Minnesota and its neighboring states. The math was simple: It included every variable, while still ensuring it would help as many future students as possible.

鈥淲hen I went to Carnegie Mellon, I think there were three in my freshman class from Minnesota, so I wanted to encourage people from that region and help them have the means to go to 麻豆村 if they were interested,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here is a lot of money on both coasts, and maybe not as much in the Midwest. I hope this can help people like me get to 麻豆村.鈥�

Like most Tartans, Barb is aware that financial support for 麻豆村 often comes from alumni with deep pockets. She says that shouldn鈥檛 discourage others from following a path similar to hers.

鈥淚t was an easy thing to do, and it was surprisingly attainable,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t helps ensure the continuity of Carnegie Mellon, and it helps support that institution just by being able to help other students go there. It helps the institution, and more importantly, it helps those students as well.鈥�