Gift establishes a professorship recognizing Jonathan Friedberg, MD, MMSc, Wilmot’s leader and a renowned oncologist.
University of Rochester Board Chair Emeritus Robert Goergen and Pam Goergen
University of Rochester Board Chair Emeritus Robert “Bob” Goergen ’60 often describes himself as “just a small pebble in the pond.” But at the University of Rochester, his vision and generosity have created a ripple effect that has spanned more than four decades—transforming facilities, advancing research, and strengthening education along the way.
In September 2025, Goergen and his wife, Pam, continued their philanthropic momentum with a $2 million gift to establish an endowed professorship at the University’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, recognizing its director and Goergen’s oncologist, Jonathan Friedberg, MD, MMSc.
Inspired by leadership
The idea for the professorship came to Goergen during a meeting of the University’s Board of Trustees in the summer of 2025. That’s when Friedberg presented an update on Wilmot, including its National Cancer Designation, which the institute earned in 2025.
“Dr. Friedberg did such a terrific job leading the Wilmot team through the long, demanding process of achieving National Cancer Institute designation,” says Goergen. “It just hit me—he should have a professorship named for him.”
The couple’s gift will initially create the Robert B. Goergen Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Care. When Friedberg no longer holds the position of Wilmot’s director, it will be renamed the Jonathan W. Friedberg, MD, MMSc Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Research.
For Goergen, the gift is less about his own generosity and more about honoring what has already been accomplished. “Dr. Friedberg’s leadership over the past eight years has been extraordinary,” he says. “The way he reorganized, refocused, and inspired his team—it has positioned Wilmot to achieve more grants, attract outstanding students and physicians, and move cancer research and care forward. This gift is really a recognition of his exceptional leadership.”
I’m personally touched by the generosity of Mr. Goergen and his family for providing this legacy,” says Friedberg. “With our recent NCI designation in hand thanks to our incredible team, the timing of this gift will accelerate our already positive momentum.
Grateful patient, lasting partnership
Philanthropy is also deeply personal for Goergen, who is also a grateful patient. Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, he has been under Friedberg’s care for nearly a decade. Their partnership has been marked by trust and continuity.
“Dr. Friedberg is always concerned about how I’m feeling and makes sure things don’t slip through the cracks,” he says. “Not long ago, he even caught a potential skin cancer early, sent me for a biopsy, and made sure it was treated before it became dangerous. He is always on top of my care.”
Goergen sums up his positive attitude, long-term commitment to the University, and approach to cancer treatment: “I’m still here, and I’m grateful for that.” He also jokes, “There’s FIFO—First In, First Out—and LIFO—Last In, First Out. But I say there’s also FISH—First In, Still Here.”
A belief in education
Education has always been central to Goergen’s philanthropy. Growing up in a working-class family, he was the first to attend college, arriving at the University in 1956 on a full scholarship. He says, “My experience at Rochester changed me dramatically. From my freshman to senior year, I grew in ways that shaped the rest of my life.”
Goergen laughs when recalling his early ambitions: “I planned to be a nuclear physicist and play basketball. Guess what? I’m not a physicist, and I don’t play basketball. And I wasn’t that good, by the way. But what I learned and who I became at Rochester mattered more than anything.”
Those formative years instilled in him a conviction that education opens doors and transforms lives, a belief his wife shares wholeheartedly. It is why the couple’s giving has consistently focused on opportunities for students, investments in faculty, and innovations in teaching and research—at the University of Rochester and beyond. “Education is something we really believe in,” says Pam Goergen. “It makes all the difference.”
Seeing what needs to be done
For Goergen, philanthropy has also been about noticing a need and acting on it. “No one ever really asked me to support a specific project,” he says. “I just saw things that needed to be addressed, things I could do beyond serving as a volunteer leader—and I stepped up.”
That philosophy has led to a lifetime of impact. In the early 1980s as a new board member, he toured the University’s athletic facilities. Seeing them in disrepair, he was inspired to help transform them into a place the campus could be proud of and into what is today’s Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center.
When the biomedical engineering and optics programs needed momentum to get off the ground, Goergen was there with a timely commitment, which led to the building of the Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics. When data science was an emerging field, he recognized its potential and invested in what has now become the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. The Goergens have also supported the University’s faculty as well as undergraduate programs, the Goergen Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and Memorial Art Gallery initiatives.
“Our philanthropy has been a little different each time,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s about funding capital improvements. Sometimes it’s about recognizing that the University needs to be on the front lines of new technology. With this gift, Pam and I knew it was important to recognize Dr. Friedberg.”
Leadership and service
Beyond his philanthropy, Goergen has been one of University’s most dedicated volunteer leaders. He chaired its Board of Trustees for 13 years, working closely with four presidents during times of both challenge and transformation. “I always saw myself as a discussion partner,” he says. “Presidents make the decisions, but I could offer perspective and support.”
Today, Goergen serves as an honorary chair of For Ever Better: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. This provides an opportunity to share his wisdom and encouragement, inspiring others to give back and strengthen the institution that has meant so much to him. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1.75 billion and engage 250,000 alumni and friends, including grateful patients, by 2030. Within that, Wilmot’s goal is to raise $85 million to support world-class research, comprehensive clinical care, and community-based outreach.
What truly endures
At 87 years old, Goergen is philosophical yet practical about his philanthropy. “When you get to be my age, you try to do what you can while you can.” That means giving generously of his time, his leadership, and his resources. He says, “I’m just trying to do what I believe in.”
Goergen admits there are challenges in life but does so with some humor: “I have an expression—‘the ducks are pecking.’ Ducks don’t hurt like chickens, but they’re aggravating. Between my annual physical, my oncologist, and a few surgeries, well, the ducks are pecking. But everything’s fine. I just keep moving forward.”
For the Goergens, moving forward includes thinking about the future of the University. By recognizing Friedberg with this Wilmot professorship, the couple has once again ensured that the University—and the institute specifically—will be equipped to lead, discover, and change lives for generations.
About Bob and Pam Goergen
Bob Goergen’s career spans management consulting at McKinsey & Company, venture capital with the Sprout Group of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, advertising at McCann-Erickson, and entrepreneurship as founder of Blyth, Inc., a consumer products company, and Ropart Investments, a private equity firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Wharton, and is a member of the Horatio Alger Association. Pam Goergen, with a bachelor’s from Immaculata University and an MBA from Baruch College, is a partner at Ropart and secretary and treasurer of the Goergen Foundation. The Goergens are long-time members of the University’s George Eastman Circle and Wilson Society.
