Jeffery and Jill Braden Use Bequest and Insurance Policy to Endow Modern Field Terms at Beloit

Jeffery P. Braden ’76 and Jill Serota Braden ’76 know from experience how life-changing a Beloit College education can be. That is why they are giving future students the same opportunities they enjoyed by making Beloit a part of their estate plan.

The Bradens, who met while students at Beloit, joined the James E. Duffy ’49 Planned Giving Society in 2021 after making a generous bequest. Now they have significantly added to their gift by making Beloit the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Their combined gifts will be used to create an endowed fund for a modern field term.

Inspiration for their gift stems from Jeff and Jill’s field term experiences while they were students. As they recall, Beloit field terms were highly beneficial and transformational. “For many of us, it changed or clarified our goals for our careers—and our lives,” Jeff says.

Loyal supporters of Beloit for five decades, Jeff and Jill have each enjoyed successful careers that have taken them around the country, including living for a time in Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, California; Madison, Wisconsin; and now Raleigh, North Carolina, where Jeff retired as Dean and is a Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University. They have two children and one grandchild.

“For many of us, it changed or clarified our goals
for our careers—and our lives.”
—Jeffery P. Braden ’76

They urge other alumni to join them in making Beloit part of their estate plans.

“Just do it!” Jeff says. “As students, we benefited so much from our experiences at Beloit College. The notion that we can make it possible for other students to have a similar life-changing experience makes it worth it!”

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