For Ted Ackroyd ’67, the primary factors for attending SUNY Geneseo were familiarity, the College’s academic reputation, proximity, and affordability.
“First of all, my sister is a graduate of Geneseo, so I knew she got a good education there. It was affordable, has an excellent reputation, and is close to my hometown, Rochester,” said Ackroyd.
Ackroyd’s reasoning for supporting the College financially and volunteering on the Geneseo Foundation Board is equally direct.
“I support Geneseo because I can and because of what Geneseo provided for me, which was a good, solid education,” said Ackroyd. “Now I’m in a position financially to support the College, and have over many years.”
Ackroyd’s generosity has benefited the College through his support for the Fund for Geneseo, the School of Business BAC (Business Advisory Council) Annual Scholarship Fund, The Dean’s Opportunity Fund in The School of Business, and the Ackroyd Family Foundation Health and Wellness Endowment Fund.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Ackroyd attended graduate school at the University of Iowa, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in health economics.
“Geneseo gave me an excellent educational foundation. Going from a small school, Geneseo, to a huge school, the University of Iowa, with over 20,000 students, I had confidence it was going to work out fine, and it did,” said Ackroyd. “Geneseo had prepared me to move into the graduate school environment knowing that I knew my subject matter, which was and still is economics.”
The arc of Ackroyd’s professional career includes working as an economist with Eastman
Kodak Co., teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Penn State University, and serving as director of a rural health project in central Pennsylvania. Eventually, he founded the Healthcare Data Company, LLC, a company he still serves as CEO. In 2012, he received the Geneseo Alumni Association’s Professional Achievement Award and was elected to the Geneseo Foundation Board of Directors in 2022.
“I like SUNY Geneseo, and I have good memories of it. I think the College needs outside real-world perspectives,” said Ackroyd. “I’ve been around for quite a while, and I think I am able to share those perspectives with the members of the Geneseo Foundation and with faculty and staff as opportunities arise. Frankly, I’ve been asked to participate in a variety of things, and Geneseo was good to me; I’m trying to be good to it.”
Ackroyd supports President Denise Battles’ vision of making Geneseo an equity-centered honors college.
“Being an equity-centered honors college would really set Geneseo apart and position it to compete for students who might otherwise not consider the College,” said Ackroyd. “The more students we get, the more capable students we get, the better we’ll be able to address the current structural budget gap. And, of course, contribute to the next generation’s leadership because of the academic standards that Geneseo has established and maintains.”
