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Executive honors parents with scholarship endowment
Ira Kreft, B.S. '77, executive vice president for Bank of America Business Capital in Chicago, has supported Central Michigan University every year since graduating as an accounting major.
Most recently, he has donated $100,000 for the Fredrick and Rosemary Kreft Endowed Scholarship Award, designated for an incoming freshman from northern Lower Michigan who plans to major in accounting.
"My parents often helped friends and neighbors who were less fortunate," Kreft said. "They also were real believers in education. I set up the scholarship as an enduring memory of them and their commitment to education and helping others."
While at CMU, Kreft valued the advice and counsel he received from several of his professors who put him on the path toward successful internships and toward getting his M.B.A. at Michigan State University.
Today, Kreft is responsible for a business unit that covers a 13-state area in the Midwest as well as parts of Canada. His group has a managed portfolio with gross credit commitments of more than $4 billion.
This year, CBA honored Kreft with its Alumni Commitment Award.
Kreft wants to see education open the door to young people looking for opportunities and advancement.
He places his ideas into action in numerous capacities, including service for a number of years on the CMU Alumni Board and the CBA Dean's Business Advisory Council.
"We know that tuition and governmental funding go just so far, so it is essential for alumni and others to help support the university," Kreft said.
"This scholarship also can be a way of ensuring that a top student who wants to attend CMU could be enticed to choose CMU over other schools."
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