Back for her 50th Reunion last June, Jane Aschenbrenner Ryan ’74 and I chatted over coffee on Main Street. She beamed with delight being back amongst friends 50 years later. Our conversation ranged from her Western New York roots to her successful career in law and ultimately circled back to why, after all these years, Geneseo remains at the heart of it all.
Coming from a modest family, Ryan needed an affordable college with scholarship support and a campus close to home. Perhaps most importantly, though, liberal arts had to be at the core of her undergraduate experience. “I wanted to be well-rounded,” she told me.
Geneseo, she says, taught her to think critically and reason through complex issues, providing a solid foundation for her eventual legal career. “A lot of law is just reasoning and thinking and drawing on other experiences,” she notes. “It helps you think in the gray area, not just the black-and-white.”
At first, Ryan had no interest in becoming an attorney. It wasn’t until after graduation, when she met her husband, who was considering law school that she learned about how wide-ranging the profession is. “I always thought lawyers just did wills, ambulance chasing, or represented criminals, none of which interested me,” she recalls. Observing her husband’s studies in corporate law opened her eyes to the diverse opportunities within the law field.
After law school at George Washington University, Ryan settled into the greater Washington, DC area and built a successful career in energy law. Despite the demanding professional life of an up-and-coming attorney, she managed to stay connected to Geneseo. Her initial contributions were modest: “I remember giving $5 just to get the school newspaper.”
Ryan has expanded her philanthropic connection to Geneseo over time.
Appointed to the Geneseo Foundation Board in 2004, she was one of the first females to serve. During her 10-year tenure, she advocated for including more women on the board and worked with professors to formalize a track for aspiring law students. Encouraged by President Emeritus Christopher C. Dahl, she established a fund to support pre-law students and, bring speakers to the classroom, and she hosted visits to Washington, DC, for networking opportunities within the legal field. Ryan’s contributions also allowed professors to develop a curriculum that will soon culminate in a three-plus-three partnership with Buffalo State Law School.
Graham Drake, professor of English and one of Geneseo’s pre-law advisors, applauds Ryan’s contributions that enhance programs and support services encompassing the entire academic year, from informational and alumni panels in the fall, a law-student workshop and lecture in the spring, scholarship support to assist in the ever-increasing expense of law school applications, and covering travel expenses to Mock Trial events and conferences for pre-law advisors. “What Jane has done for our program and students has been nothing less than invaluable,” he says.
For Ryan, making the path to law school easier is an important cause. In line with Geneseo’s Public Honors College mission, she believes that access to higher education should be attainable for all. The support systems created and enhanced by private support can make all the difference in students’ lives.
“It’s a special place where you can express your views and be yourself,” Ryan says. “I didn’t know who I was until I came to Geneseo. It was liberating. That’s why we need places like this, so people can discover who they are.”
