Anthony Lehnertz is a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in finance from Iowa City, IA. In addition to his schooling, Lehnertz is also an active president of PHIL, a UI student organization working towards raising awareness on campus about philanthropy.

“PHIL has two main missions on campus, raising awareness about philanthropy among students on campus, and working with the UI Foundations as student ambassadors for their events,”

Lehnertz says. “If the foundation has an event, we will go and speak with alumni about how the university is now compared to how school may have been when they attended, among other topics.” Lehnertz says because of his position in PHIL, he has learned an immense amount about philanthropy at the University of Iowa.

“I barely even knew what philanthropy was when I first started at the University of Iowa, and much less how it affected my life,” Lehnertz says. “I’ve really learned and appreciated how philanthropy impacts me and all the other students on campus.”

Through his experience in PHIL, Lehnertz says he recognized how much alumni really want to give back to the university.

“When I first came to the University of Iowa, I always assumed that the UI Foundation had to solicit alumni and ask for gifts,” Lehnertz says. “But it really seems like alumni want to give back, talk to students, and learn how the university is today.”

In addition to his newfound knowledge of philanthropy, Lehnertz says PHIL helped him gain other various skills including helping him become much more outgoing.

“It's really brought me out of my shell, as I was kind of shy coming into college.” Lehnertz says his most memorable experience in PHIL was spending time with Henry Tippie during PHIL’s Day when he was a keynote speaker in 2014.

As a student in the Tippie College of Business, it was an outstanding opportunity to get to talk and spend the day with [him] Henry Tippie. That’s an experience I will always remember.

In the future, Lehnertz would like to see PHIL continue to grow and hopes more students will become involved in the organization.

Anthony Lehnertz

Current position: President, PHIL
Education: B.B.A. Finance
Hometown: Iowa City, IA