Investment executive Chris LaCroix has become the first member of Ithaca College’s Business Hall of Fame, which will also lend its name to a new scholarship for students with financial need.
The college honored the 1979 graduate at a Nov. 4 campus ceremony and announced the induction Tuesday. The IC Business Hall of Fame Endowed Scholarship, funded by former trustee Thad Fortin and his wife, Mindy, will become available in fall 2027 to students pursuing business-related majors.
LaCroix earned a business administration degree and played rugby at Ithaca. He joined LSV Asset Management in 1996 and served as a partner and managing director until retiring in 2008.
“It means a great deal to be the first inductee,” LaCroix said. “Ithaca gave me room to follow my curiosity about finance, and playing rugby taught me about teamwork and working with people toward a common goal.”
Support for investing experience and athletics
LaCroix served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2015, including as chair of its Investment Committee. He also serves on the Business School Investment Advisory Board.
He and his wife, Kathleen, have supported scholarships, student trading funds and investment education that gives students experience managing real portfolios. Their athletics giving has supported team endowments, training facilities, equipment and travel for student-athletes.
President La Jerne Terry Cornish said the practical work asks finance students to defend investment recommendations, respond to changing conditions and take responsibility for results.
“Your journey reflects the possibilities that an Ithaca College education can create, and your continued engagement reflects the difference our alumni can make when they choose to give back,” Cornish told LaCroix.
Susan Bassett, a 1979 graduate and former director of intercollegiate athletics, described LaCroix as a committed, knowledgeable supporter of both business education and athletics, calling him “the ultimate teammate.”
New scholarship and permanent campus display
Fortin, a 1981 business administration graduate, said he and Mindy wanted to help more students pursue an Ithaca education and develop careers in business. Their endowed scholarship will serve students with demonstrated financial need.
LaCroix unveiled the hall of fame display in the first-floor atrium of the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise. The college’s Marketing Communications division designed it to feature LaCroix and future inductees.
Christina Moylan, interim dean of the School of Business, said the display will give prospective students examples of where an Ithaca education can lead and current students alumni role models.
Information about the scholarship or contributing is available from Chad Tessier, interim vice president for advancement, at ctessier1@ithaca.edu.
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