Distinguished Philanthropist Award

    Mike and Pat Koldyke
Mike and Pat Koldyke have made it their mid-life mission to lift the quality of teaching in Chicago. While watching the Academy Awards on TV they thought, “Why couldn’t there be a similar awards program for teachers?” In answer to their own question, they founded the Golden Apple Foundation in 1985 with the concept that every child deserves an excellent teacher and that every excellent teacher deserves recognition. This year, Golden Apple will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Since its inception, Golden Apple has grown into an institution that continues to recognize gifted teachers, and also prepares and strengthens teachers who make a critical difference in the lives of all children, with a special emphasis on those teaching children from disadvantaged schools. Mike is chairman emeritus, and he and Pat continue to serve on the board.

Continuing his quest for education reform, Mike was appointed by both Mayor Daley and Governor Edgar as chair of the Chicago School Finance Authority; was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans; and served on the boards of the Chicago Public Education Fund, Brookings Institute, and Choate Rosemary Hall. In 2001, Mike created the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), a unique model of reform that has been heralded by President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. AUSL’s model is to train teachers in a rigorous one year residency program and then place them in AUSL-managed turnaround schools to effect whole school transformation. AUSL has graduated 312 Resident teachers and by the fall of 2010 it will be managing 14 elementary and 4 high schools for the Chicago Public Schools.

Pat and Mike are partners in the Charles R Ranch near Las Vegas, NM, and since 2005 they have sponsored Chicago Public School children from the AUSL schools for a trip to Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and then on to their ranch for a “cowboy” experience. Since that time 100 7th graders have spent 4 days with the Koldykes learning to feed and care for a horse, horseback riding, and camping. Many of those kids have never been out of Chicago.

In 2001, Mike was struck by an article in the New York Times that told the story of how talented Native American athletes in New Mexico and Arizona were being passed over and ignored by college recruiters. Mike began working with the New Mexico Highlands University to develop a program at the University to improve the recruitment and mentoring of Native Americans.

Broadening their scope, in 2007 the Koldykes established the Patricia Blunt Koldyke Fellowship in Social Entrepreneurship at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where Pat has served as a board member for more than 20 years. Through the Fellowship the Koldykes intend to bring to Chicago emerging leaders who have been recognized for their social entrepreneurship and continuing contributions to their communities. The three Fellows thus far have been deeply involved in education reform in their own countries of India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Mike and Pat Koldyke will celebrate 50 years of marriage this year on September 18 and are committed to making the world a better place. There are four children and eight grandchildren in the Koldyke family – the grandchildren ranging from a college sophomore to a first-grader. The Koldyke’s youthful vitality is derived from their involvement with family and their work to make the world a better place.