Jim and Jan Gallagher

Jim and Jan Gallagher say education transformed their lives. Exposure to new ideas and perspectives sparked curiosity.
It led to extensive studies, multiple diplomas and, eventually, careers doing what they loved.

Jan, who earned her master’s in Business Administration from UW-L in 1988, was director of UW-L’s Small Business Development Center from 1993 to 2010. Jim, who taught archaeology at UW-L from 1977-2002, helped start the university’s archaeology major
— one of a handful of undergraduate archaeology degree programs in the U.S. He also helped found the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center on campus. Not only has education transformed Jim’s life, but, as a professor, he watched it transform the lives of students.

“I’ve seen freshmen students who practically didn’t know which end of the shovel to pick up,” jokes Jim. “But, by the time some of them were seniors, they were delivering professional papersat national conferences.”

Jim and Jan made a commitment to the UW-L Foundation to start a scholarship for archaeology students. They hope the gift inspires
others to give. “Tuition has gone up and it’s getting harder and harder for students to afford a university education,” notes Jim. “We
wanted to help make it easier.”

The couple’s commitment to education and students has been there all along. “The timing is just right for us now,” says Jan.