UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

University Advancement

Cory Curtis Story

Cory Curtis got a strong education at UW-River Falls for very little money. Now she wants to make sure others can too. 

“I feel a real need to give back,” Curtis said. “I have to give back now because I got so much for so little then.”

Value is a big motivation for Curtis’ giving. Graduating in 1990 with a major in chemistry, she now understands how little she spent on tuition to receive such an “incredible education.”

“UWRF really set me up well with the basics,” Curtis said. “From skills in writing, to my science fundamentals, I didn’t have to relearn anything in graduate school because I had it all down.”

UWRF appealed to Curtis because she is both thrifty and driven to succeed. 

“I knew from the age of 14 that I was going to get a Ph.D. in chemistry. That was my goal and it never changed." 

Curtis credits her parents with instilling her with a strong drive to excel. Her parents worked for 3M, and they took her to Family Days at their company and to Girls in the Sciences programs elsewhere. When it came time to choose a university, Curtis had her pick of prestigious private schools, and other UW-System schools, too. That's when she learned about UWRF’s top-notch chemistry program. 

“I grew up in River Falls, went to junior high and high school here," she said. "UWRF’s chemistry department really drove me to the university. I realized that I didn’t have to spend three or four times more at private school to get what I wanted.”

From UWRF, Curtis went to UC-San Diego for a doctorate program in chemistry. The five-year program led to a post-doc program at UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduating, she took a job with Merck, the international pharmaceutical company. For the last 10 years, she’s learned about the prescription business, worked as a supervisor and team leader, and now serves as a member of a central engineering group, combining both hard science and team-relationship skills. She often travels abroad, including a four-and-a-half month stint at Merck’s facility in Newcastle, England.

“It’s a great motivator to be an extra resource for international colleagues, to learn about their culture. There’s real satisfaction in getting a good quality product out the door."

Curtis gives to the unrestricted Fund for UW-River Falls in part because “the general fund doesn’t get much attention.” But also because of its flexibility—it gets money where it is needed most.

“Everyone can use the help,” she said. 
 

Cory Curtis
Cory Curtis, '90


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