Like most bargain hunters, I’m always on the lookout for a good deal. Regardless
of the venue—a postholiday department store clearance sale, a flea market, a
promising stock, or a supermarket special—I always want to get the most for my
money. That’s why I get extremely peeved when I’ve missed out on a bargain just
because I failed to follow my best instincts or told myself I’d do it later.
As we all know, “later” usually translates to “never,” and an opportunity is
lost forever.
The same principle applies to charitable giving. Savvy fans of public broadcasting
know that during every pledge drive they’ll hear about at least one matching challenge that will double the impact of their gift, and they schedule their giving accordingly. It’s great to know that by planning well and acting decisively you’ve
done twice as much for an organization or cause that matters deeply to you.
Grateful for the education that launched his rewarding career, Ken Anderson (AEM M.S. ’48) was searching for a way to create a meaningful legacy during his lifetime. And when he discovered the perfect opportunity—one that would nurture promising graduate students and help his alma mater—Ken acted without hesitation. In summer 2004, a few months before his death, he established the Kenneth G. and Rosemary R. Anderson Fellowship with a $100,000 gift to the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Ken’s gift will be matched by funds from the 21st Century Graduate Fellowship Endowment to create several fellowships.
Established in 2000, this endowment is a result of the University’s licensing agreement for the AIDS drug Ziagen with Glaxo Wellcome PLC, a pharmaceutical company. The fund was created with royalties generated by worldwide sales of Ziagen, which was developed at the University by a research team led by pharmacy professor Robert Vince. Gifts of $25,000 or more that are designated to endow graduate fellowships may be eligible for matching through the fund.
As a former graduate student, Ken understood well the magical mathematics of fellowships. From a student’s perspective, they are the factor that multiplies the intellectual rewards of graduate study while reducing its financial burden. At the same time, fellowships increase the University’s ability to attract top students, strengthen its intellectual fabric, and carry out its mission as a land-grant institution.
Imagine that with a phone call, an email, or the stroke of a pen you had the power to double all the good that a fellowship does: change a life, spark new ideas, generate breakthrough technologies, or underwrite creative work in a discipline you love. The 21st Century Graduate Fellowship Endowment gives you that power, but time is running out on this extraordinary opportunity. Donors have responded so enthusiastically to this program that the endowment is likely to run short of matching funds early this year.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about making a gift to IT for a while now, but you’ve been waiting for the right moment to come along. I hope you will conclude, as Ken Anderson did, that now is the perfect time to invest in human potential—the best bargain you’ll ever find.
Before I sign off, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Tom Burk, the newest member of IT’s development team. Tom will be working to strengthen IT’s relationships with the corporate community and further develop the Dean’s Advisory Board, a group of corporate leaders who counsel the dean on a wide variety of issues. Tom joins us after a long career in the corporate world, including 21 years at Unisys, where his most recent responsibilities included fostering technology transfer with the University. We’re excited to have him join IT’s development effort.
TOM KINSEY is the interim director of development for the Institute
of Technology. You can reach him at 612-625-4509.
