Charting A New Millennium
Capital Campaign opening doors for SUU students
SUU has entered the final phase of its five-year, $42 million Capital
Campaign.
The campaign, "Charting a New Millennium," focuses on a number
of needs of the University, but most pointedly on expanding the doors
of education to allow more students an economic opportunity to gain a
degree. More than 50 percent of the campaign is intended to assist students
with the rising cost of a higher education.
To date in the current campaign, some $32.5 million has been given or
pledged to the University. Scholarship endowments have been enhanced by
nearly $10 million; academic programs by $3.4 million; land acquisitions/building
projects by $4.7 million; existing programs, such as the Utah Shakespearean
Festival, Utah Summer Games and Thunderbird Athletic Club, by $12.2 million;
and unrestricted/ planned gifts by $2.1 million.
"Our most pressing need continues to be in the area of scholarships,
with some $12 million still to be donated," President Steven D. Bennion
says.
Also, particularly important is the need for aid to academic programs,
still short $2.6 million. The need includes funds for named professorships,
the Honors Program, faculty development, teaching awards, service learning,
technology and equipment, and innovative programs, all of which would
provide a stronger base for instruction.
Students and prospective students continue to be in the most urgent need
of assistance. "Many of our students on this residential campus come
from families of modest economic means, so the importance of scholarships
is particularly critical here," Jack Jenks, executive director of
development, says. Cedar City's Dixie Leavitt, long among the University's
most ardent supporters, is the campaign chairman.
Those involved with the campaign, including SUU Vice President for Advancement
and Regional Services Stuart Jones, ('86, Political Science/Business)
agree that the University's students need assistance in financing their
studies to stay at SUU. "It is a considerable challenge for many
of the high-quality students who seek to attend SUU. Modest personal and
family means, combined with the related costs of attending a residential
campus, are just a few of the factors that make increased resources so
critical. By providing the scholarship and grant opportunities necessary
to attract and retain high-quality, deserving students, and by offering
meaningful work opportunities and valuable real-world experiences to students,"
Jones says, "through mentoring, internship, assistantship and other
work programs, we will keep the doors of the University open to these
many deserving students, an effort that stands as the Institution's top
fund-raising priority."
Jenks finds the willingness to give by a myriad of people both heartwarming
and encouraging. "I'm impressed that we have a very broad base of
givers to the University. It is a very diversified group of people, coming
from various backgrounds and situations."
By taking advantage of the many different avenues available for making
planned gifts to an institution of higher learning, SUU's generous and
thoughtful donors are able to provide meaningful and lasting contributions
to the University, its pressing needs and its students.
In terms of academic needs, investing additional resources in the learning
environment at SUU will help enrich the lives of students, Jenks explains,
by supplying funds to assist in a number of distinct areas. Building an
interdisciplinary Honors Program will meet current and future needs for
bright and highly motivated students. Enhancing support for faculty members
through such endeavors as providing teaching awards, recognition for distinguished
professors and extending additional learning opportunities to campus teachers,
while at the same time establishing innovative new educational programs
to further challenge the University's students, will ensure that SUU continues
its pursuit of academic excellence while significantly improving the overall
learning experience.
As part of its "Charting a New Millennium" campaign, SUU invites
those who would consider a planned gift to "create a legacy"
to do their part to ensure that succeeding generations of students at
Utah's Academic Sanctuary will continue to enjoy the benefits of higher
education.
Types of planned gifts include the following:
Bequest
A gift made through a will or living trust.
Charitable Remainder Trust
A type of tax-exempt trust which makes payments
of a fixed sum to the donor for life and then provides the gift to the
University at the time of death. A Charitable Remainder Trust may avoid
capital gains taxes and provide assets to heirs.
Insurance
Allows the donor to make small current donations,
resulting in a large gift to the University at a future date.
Life Estate
A situation in which a donor gives a home or farm
to the University, retaining the right to live on the property for life.
Although the large or "major" gifts get most of the attention
and publicity in capital campaigns, Jenks emphasizes that there is no
gift too small to give. "Some people may have the impression that
only six and seven figure gifts make a difference. Although these large
gifts are certainly essential to the successful completion of a capital
campaign, one of the goals of the campaign is to get as many people, companies
and organizations participating as possible." It is the desire of
SUU's administration, according to Jenks, that every person who believes
in the mission of SUU be encouraged to get involved by making a gift,
whether large or small.
"There is the cliché 'every cent makes a difference,'"
Jenks remarks, "but nowhere is this seen to be more true than when
helping a student obtain a higher education."
President Steven D. Bennion adds, "We invite all alumni and friends
of SUU to participate in this vital endeavor…to help open the doors
of educational opportunity, and keep them open for our wonderful students."
The president captures the spirit of SUU's Campaign, and the philosophy
of those who contribute, by reciting the quote: "If there be any
true measure of a man than what he does, it must be what he gives."
Eva and Howard R. Driggs and Clara and H. Perry Driggs Endowments
Established
Perry Driggs Jr. just announced the establishment of two endowments for
students at SUU.
Perry's father, H. Perry Driggs Sr., has designated the scholarships
to be awarded in honor of his parents, Eva and Howard R. Driggs, and in
honor of his late wife, Clara, and himself. The amount provided for the
scholarships will be $75,000, to be paid from Perry Sr.'s estate.
Perry Jr. writes, "Dad is very pleased to be able to do this for
such a fine University."
Perry Driggs Sr. is a fundamental part of the history of SUU, as his
father, Howard, was a member of the first faculty of the school, and his
brother, H. Wayne Driggs, served as director (president) for six years.
A man of singular accomplishment in his own right, Perry has spent a
lifetime in a variety of creative pursuits. A pioneer in Utah radio, he
was an executive for KSL Radio and co-founder of KVOG Radio in Ogden.
He also was a key account manager for the largest advertising agency in
the world and a member of the NYU faculty for six years. A magician, an
illustrator, and cartoonist as well, he has spent a great deal of time
and energy on two of his great passions: the Pony Express Museum in St.
Joseph, Mo., and the Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka, Ill. His
lifelong interest in education, as well as his familial loyalties to SUU,
have led him to generously establish two endowments here. His wife of
66 years, Clara, who worked alongside him in many of his life's endeavors,
passed away in March 2001.
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