Throughout the 15 years that Anna Rominger spent as dean of Indiana University Northwest’s School of Business and Economics, she noticed how much of a struggle it could be for students to stay committed to earning their business degrees. So many of them juggle working and family obligations with their studies, and they need all the extra resources and support they can get to ensure their success.

That’s why when the now-retired dean, and her husband, Joe Lisak, were thinking about how they could continue to support IU Northwest students, they decided they wanted to pick up the tab for initiatives that directly impact their success, such as peer mentoring, tutoring and financial assistance for those engaged in internship programs.

The Rominger-Lisak Student Success Fund will help students customize their education, giving them flexibility to take advantage of opportunities they might otherwise pass up. Most importantly, as Rominger points out, she wants to pay for the kind of support that can make a student who could easily be on the verge of dropping out, stay in the game. Dr. Rominger estimates the fund will help at least two or three students per year.

Plus, as Lisak says, “this will give them something else so they can be successful in their own way.”

The fund qualified for the Bicentennial Match Program announced by IU President Michael A. McRobbie last year, which means that IU doubled the contributions made by Rominger and Lisak. It will be available to students within the coming years.

Hard-working roots and an appetite for education

Wed in 1985, this “big-city boy and small-town girl,” as Lisak quipped, both worked their way through college. They both know first-hand about how hard it can be to pay for college, especially while juggling many responsibilities. This, in part, drives their desire to lighten the burdens of students.

Lisak, a Chicago native from a large family, is the oldest of four boys and the only one to go to college. Lisak’s parents didn’t finish high school but supported his college dreams. In fact, to prepare for college, Lisak wanted to attend a prestigious private high school in Chicago, so he worked to pay his own high school tuition by delivering 300 newspapers a day. He then attended Loyola University, again, footing the bill himself. An entrepreneur, Lisak spent his career as an independent consultant in the information technology industry.

Rominger is from southern Indiana. The daughter of an IU alumnus and educator, she attended Boston University and then moved to Indianapolis. She eventually landed in Crown Point and a partner in a law firm. Her Boston University law degree led her to teach business law at IU Northwest where she stayed, serving as Dean of the School of Business and Economics for 15 years. While in college, Rominger worked on a switchboard, in the housing office, and as “dorm mother” of her sorority house.

Their successful daughter Jenn, who clearly took after the best of both of her parents, was honored as a top “40 Under 40” professional by the Indianapolis Business Journal. The recently married Butler University graduate is a successful entrepreneur with her own social media marketing business.

The necessity of higher education

Rominger views a college education as a necessity, not a luxury. Unfortunately, she says, only about half the population earns a degree.

“To have the kind of skills that we need in today’s sophisticated economy, a college education is a must,” she says, “but unfortunately, it is expensive and people need assistance. It’s important for all of us who have been a part of that process, if we can, to support higher education, so more students can earn a college degree.”

Lisak concurs.

“A college education helps to crystalize your critical thinking skills that you need out there in the real world,” he says. “You have your practical side which you learn in the real world but then you have the other side that you learn in academia which will help formulate that and put things in to proper order so you can advance yourself in the real world.”

Paying it forward

Giving back to students through the Rominger-Lisak Student Success Fund, Rominger says, serves a purpose over and above helping individual students earn their degrees. It helps build a stronger community, and cultivates a culture of philanthropy. Rominger knows that her actions, and the actions of all philanthropists, have a reverberating effect. The students who receive assistance will likely return that favor in the future for the generations that follow them.

“I really wanted to give something back to our students,” Rominger says, “but I also know that our students will, in turn, give back in their own ways to our local communities.”

Rominger leads by example. When she’s not singing in the Notables Choir, based in Merrillville, or learning how to teach yoga, Rominger continues to serve the many organizations that kept her busy while serving as dean.

Lisak, who is heavily involved in his church, jokes that he is the unofficial administrative assistant to Rominger’s many retirement activities, which include the Women’s Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony (WANIS), the Shared Ethics Commission, the Lake County Advancement Committee (LCAC), and the Northwest Indiana Trade Alliance.

Because of all she has done to educate students and enable their success over the years and for years to come, Rominger has received many accolades, one of her proudest honors being named a Sagamore of the Wabash, a high honor bestowed by the Indiana governor for distinguished service.

For more information about how you can impact student success, please contact the Office of Development at 219-980-6801.