Gift From SLU Alumnus Creates New Scholarship to Benefit Graduates From Two St. Louis High Schools
Maggie Rotermund
Senior Media Relations Specialist
maggie.rotermund@slu.edu
314-977-8018
Reserved for members of the media.
03/08/2022
ST. LOUIS — Saint Louis University is pleased to announce that Rudi Roeslein (IT ’71) has made a gift of $100,000 to the University in support of scholarships and Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University.
The generous gift creates the Rudi Roeslein Scholarship, which will benefit two undergraduate SLU students, one who graduated from St. Mary’s High School and one from Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis. Students eligible for the scholarship must be majoring in a STEM or business field, be in good academic standing and demonstrate financial need.
“People often talk about kids needing exposure to new opportunities, which certainly has its place. However, where we are now in St. Louis, we need a stronger focus on concrete resources that provide students a real seat at the table,” said Tamiko Armstead, president of Cardinal Ritter College Prep. “This is why I’m so ecstatic and grateful to Mr. Roeslein for his leadership and recent gift to benefit Cardinal Ritter students. He’s serious about impacting lives through education, and we are so blessed to be on this journey with him.”
Michael England, president of St. Mary’s High School, agreed: “We could not be more grateful to Rudi Roeslein for his support of his two alma maters, St. Mary's High School and Saint Louis University. Rudi’s commitment to remembering and giving back to his roots while also lifting others up is remarkable. This scholarship is a transformative gift for the students it will serve, and on their behalf today we say thank you!”
By creating a scholarship, Roeslein’s gift also supports one of the strategic priorities of Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University. The historic $500 million fundraising effort aims to propel SLU to national prominence as a distinguished research university through investment in scholarships, academic excellence, business education, health sciences and athletics.
“I am so privileged and honored to help these young adults, who are the future leaders of our country,” Roeslein said. “My parents sacrificed to help me receive an education, and the education and ethos I learned at St. Mary’s High School and Saint Louis University were the foundation of my success as an entrepreneur and as a person. This scholarship is my small way to make a contribution to those institutions and my community.”
Rudi Roeslein immigrated to the United States from Austria with his parents in 1956. His family settled in St. Louis, where he has lived since. He attended Saint Louis University, graduating in 1971 from the University’s Institute of Technology with a degree in Electrical Engineering. As a student-athlete at SLU, Roeslein was a member of the 1967 NCAA Division 1 championship soccer team; he credits much of his business success to the camaraderie and cooperation he learned from athletic competition. In 1990, he started Roeslein & Associates, a global engineering, modular fabrication and construction company that is home to more than 1,200 employees.
In 2012, led by his passion for wildlife and landscape habitat restoration, he founded Roeslein Alternative Energy, an operator and developer of renewable energy production facilities that convert agricultural and industrial wastes, along with renewable biomass feedstocks, to renewable natural gas and sustainable coproducts.
Roeslein has received numerous awards for his lifelong commitment to his work and philanthropic efforts, including the 2019 Energy Vision Leadership Award and the 2019 St. Louis Business Journal Cutting Edge Award. Saint Louis University awarded Roeslein the Institute of Technology Alumni Merit Award in 2018.
“We are grateful to alumni like Rudi who recognize the immense value of scholarships for students who face financial barriers to higher education,” said Sheila Manion, vice president for development at Saint Louis University. “Providing capable students with access to a rigorous, values-based education – regardless of their financial circumstances – is an essential part of our Jesuit identity. His support helps solidify the University’s commitment to making SLU a possibility for even greater numbers of future Billikens.”
About Accelerating Excellence:
Accelerating Excellence: The Campaign for Saint Louis University is a historic $500 million comprehensive fundraising effort designed to strengthen Saint Louis University by committing resources to the strategic priorities of academic excellence, health sciences, business education, athletics and scholarships. Visit slu.edu/campaignforslu for more information.