When John C. Riazzi ’85 decided to make a significant gift to the College, he chose to honor his former professor, Bruce Gensemer. With a gift of $1.5 million, Riazzi established the Bruce L. Gensemer Professorship in Economics. Said Riazzi, Bruce Gensemer saw talents in his students that they didn’t see in themselves. He carefully nurtured those talents, which may not have been readily evident from the students’ credentials or past performance.
Gensemer’s distinguished career spanned from 1966 until his retirement in 2002. Over the years, he gained a reputation as a talented teacher who inspired a high level of academic achievement in his students. Gensemer also served Kenyon in numerous roles outside the classroom, including department chair, committee leader, and coordinator of the College’s reaccreditation process.
A specialist in public economics and several other areas of the field, Gensemer became a noted expert on school-financing issues. He put his varied expertise to work not only in the economics department but also as a member of the faculty in Kenyon’s interdisciplinary program in international studies. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Gensemer earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan.
I am deeply honored that John has seen fit to attach my name to this wonderful gift, said Gensemer. I believe it speaks not only to the lasting power of bonds formed in the College’s classroom but also to John’s faith in the liberal-arts approach to education in economics.