Robert Jacobs Establishes CGA to Ensure Future Students Enjoy Life-Enhancing Opportunities

Growing up in Queens in a family with limited resources, Robert R. Jacobs ’70 discovered a doorway to a better life and rewarding career through attending Queens College. That’s why he has chosen to purchase a charitable gift annuity (CGA)—funded through his IRA—to support future Queens College students with financial need.

For Mr. Jacobs, using retirement funds to establish a CGA offered important advantages that added up to an excellent way to simultaneously meet his estate-planning and philanthropic goals.

“I was inspired by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gift to his alma mater,” Mr. Jacobs says. “His gift ensured that no deserving students would be turned away from Johns Hopkins due to financial reasons.”

Mr. Jacobs’ gift will support the Phi Epsilon Pi Endowment Fund, which the fraternity established in 2018 along with the lifelong friends he made as a member of the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity.

“Queens College changed the trajectory of our lives,” Mr. Jacobs says. “It exposed us to a world beyond our personal experience and showed us what was possible. We were able to take advantage of opportunities that have served us well and have provided a firm foundation for our careers and for a well-rounded existence with a rich inner life that comes with a good liberal arts education.”

After graduating from the College with degrees in economics and psychology, Mr. Jacobs would go on to earn advanced degrees in accounting and urban policy planning. He capped 14 years as a partner at Ernst and Young by founding his own company, Health ROI, of which he remains president today.

Now living in the Bronx, Mr. Jacobs urges his fellow Queens College alumni to join him in supporting Queens College by establishing a planned gift.

“I would encourage them to give back to Queens College,” he says. “Many of us received a world-class education for very low cost. We should seek to ensure that those who come after us will have similar opportunities.”