Iger-Bay Endowed Scholarship honors Ithaca College with $1 million gift

Bob Iger ’73 and his wife, Willow Bay, have committed to a $1 million gift to Ithaca College under the Iger-Bay Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship was forwarded by the couple in support of academic excellence and the institution’s goal of becoming a national model for colleges.

The scholarship is financed by Iger’s recently released memoir, “The Ride of a Lifetime,” and will be awarded to incoming students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications who require financial support.

“The Park School has a rich history of providing an environment where students can develop their skills, ask challenging questions, and thrive among peers from varied backgrounds and experiences,” said Diane Gayeski ’74, Dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications. “Our community is deeply grateful to Bob and Willow for graciously establishing this endowment that will enable intellectually curious, high-achieving students to access the Park School’s innovative programs.”

The couple is well-known in the media industry, with Iger being CEO of the Walt Disney Company and Bay holding the post of dean of the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

“I speak for the entire IC community when I share how incredibly appreciative, we are of Bob Iger and Willow Bay for their tremendous generosity,” said Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado. “Their commitment to supporting and affirming underrepresented experiences across the educational and media landscapes is unparalleled.”

“Willow and I have advocated strongly for equitable representation of people of color in media and journalism for our entire careers,” shared Iger. “Increasing diversity in the newsroom is crucially important to us, and so we made the decision to allocate book proceeds in support of educational initiatives for underrepresented students in the hopes of fostering a more inclusive media environment for talented communications professionals.”