Impact
A Legacy of Generosity
Highlights from the Rogers Society Luncheon
Members of the Henry and Emma Rogers Society gathered in Evanston on May 29, 2026, for the society’s annual luncheon honoring alumni and friends who have included the University in their estate plans. The event celebrated the transformative power of planned giving and its role in advancing innovation and discovery across the University.
Christopher Schuh ’01 PhD, dean of the McCormick School of Engineering and the John G. Searle Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, delivered the keynote address. Trustee Gordon Segal ’60 (’93 P), a Rogers Society member, served as the emcee.
Schuh, who has led Northwestern Engineering since 2023, highlighted the role planned giving played in his school’s history. He noted that one of Northwestern’s most impactful planned gifts came in 1939 from industrialist Walter P. Murphy, whose generosity helped establish the Technological Institute and contributed to the development of what is now Northwestern Engineering.
Schuh went on to share his vision for the school, emphasizing the importance of educating “whole-brain” engineers who combine technical innovation with human insights. He highlighted the school’s work in areas such as synthetic biology, embodied artificial intelligence, and robotics, including technologies that improve water safety and advance healthcare. Schuh also invited guests to an afternoon tour of the Center for Robotics and Biosystems to learn about cutting-edge research in robotics and technologies that improve human health and mobility.
Throughout his remarks, Schuh underscored the vital role planned gifts continue to play at Northwestern Engineering, highlighting several donors who have passed away in recent years and whose generosity continues to shape the school. He pointed to longtime faculty member Jan Achenbach and his wife, Marcia Achenbach ’65 MA, who established several engineering professorships through a gift in their estate. He also recognized David Larimore ’68, who created a scholarship fund to support engineering students and later enhanced the fund with a bequest from his estate.
In his remarks, Segal, who has served on the Northwestern Board of Trustees since 1990 and became a life trustee in 2009, emphasized the role of philanthropy in Northwestern’s success. Together with his wife, Carole Browe Segal ’60 (’93 P), Segal has made planned and outright gifts to help fund the Segal Design Institute, Segal Visitors Center, and other transformative initiatives at the University. He also thanked his fellow Rogers Society members for establishing their own legacies at the University.
Segal, who earned an undergraduate degree in business from Northwestern, is also a member of the Kellogg School of Management’s Global Advisory Board and Full Circle Campaign Committee, and the Northwestern University Libraries Board of Governors.
Camille Licklider, senior director of gift planning at Northwestern, delivered her annual update to Rogers Society members at the event, announcing that society membership has surpassed 2,000 for the first time, reaching 2,056 members. Since the 2025 luncheon, 75 new members have joined the society, and Northwestern has received 267 new planned gifts totaling $99.3 million.
To close the program, Schuh reflected on Northwestern’s impact on his own life and career and thanked Rogers Society members for their enduring support. “I imagine that Northwestern changed your life, and that’s why you’re here. And that is true for me as well,” he said. “Your gifts transform us. We are grateful for them, and we are grateful for you.”