The Rauch Family have been champions and supporters of the PhD program since day one.
The prestigious Rauch Doctoral Fellowship is awarded to a top incoming student who demonstrates the greatest promise to make a significant research impact in their academic field.
Thanks to generosity of the Rauch family six students have been fully-funded while earning their PhDs. Currently, there are two Rauch Doctoral Fellows enrolled in the program.
Henry E. Rauch’s relationship with the then Bentley School of Accounting and Finance began in 1918. At the time, Rauch was a high school student working for Mr. Bentley. It was Mr. Bentley who encouraged Rauch to purse his education, and in 1924 he graduated with a degree in accounting. He maintained close ties with the school throughout his career, during which he primarily worked as an executive in the manufacturing industry.
Henry Rauch was a close friend of Harry Bentley, and when Mr. Bentley decided to incorporate his school as a non-profit institution, Mr. Rauch became a founding member of Bentley’s Board of Trustees. He would continue to serve on the Board for several decades and was elected its chairman in 1970. He remained chairman until 1977, after which he was elected chairman emeritus and honorary trustee. Rauch played a major role in the development of the Bentley School, including its relocation to Waltham and its restructuring to become accredited as Bentley College.
In recognition of his myriad contributions, Rauch received the first honorary degree ever conferred by Bentley, in 1980. Rauch was also known for encouraging Bentley’s growth through generous financial contributions, many of which still have impact on campus today. He made the first one-million-dollar donation to Bentley in 1984 which helped to significantly expand and maintain the college’s campus footprint.
He also established the Henry E. and Alice Rauch Scholarship Fund, as well as the Henry E. Rauch Faculty Enrichment Fund. The Rauch Administration Building was dedicated to him in thanks for the significant role he played in the development of Bentley.
Rauch’s children, Elizabeth Rainoff and Dudley Rauch, are among the university’s greatest supporters and benefactors. Elizabeth Rainoff served on the Board of Trustees from 1981 to 2000. In 2006, when the PhD program was started, the Rauch family began the Rauch PhD Fellowship, continuing their father’s legacy of supporting scholarship and excellence in research at Bentley. The PhD program is honored by their generosity and support.
Photo Credit: Henry Rauch (C) receives Bentley’s first honorary degree at 1980 Commencement from Board Chairman Hugh Dysart (L), and Gregory Adamian (R). Photo from the Henry E. Rauch Papers, donated by the Rauch Family in 2014.