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Ohio University’s endowment has grown from $69.3 million in 1991
to $220 million this academic year, ranking 54th in size among public
institutions, according to the National Association of College and University
Business Officers.
Despite its growth, the endowment has a long way to go to catch up to
the coffers of many public universities. For example, the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s is at $926 million and the University
of Virginia’s is at $1.3 billion.
Ohio University officials would like to see the endowment increase to
$500 million in the next seven to eight years.
 “The
trend today is that the most successful public institutions have a rapidly
growing endowment, and we’re trying to keep Ohio University in the
game so that we are among those universities,” says Bicentennial
Campaign co-chair James Daley, BBA ’63, executive vice president
and chief financial officer for EDS, the world’s second-largest computer
services provider. Daley also chairs the board of The Ohio University
Foundation, the nonprofit fund-raising arm of the University.
Daley and fellow campaign co-chair Charles Emrick, BS ’51 and MSJ
’52, have guided the campaign team through its quiet phase, which
began in July 1997. The goal of that phase was to attract leadership gifts,
mostly large contributions that set the tone of the campaign once it was
publicly announced.
During this behind-the-scenes phase, Emrick spent countless hours making
house calls to potential donors across the nation.
“We don’t harass them for money like many people think,”
says Emrick, senior vice president and managing director of the TransAction
Group in Cleveland and a former Ohio University trustee. “We meet
with potential donors, tell them about the University and its needs, and
when they go home and think about it, they decide they want to help.”
Yet campaign organizers also emphasize the important role smaller gifts
— those of $50, $100, $1,000 or $10,000 — play in the life of
a campaign.
“There is no small or unimportant gift,” Emrick notes. “The
gift of a recent graduate of $100 is more important than $1 million from
a wealthy person because it represents a bigger portion of what the recent
graduate earns. Besides, that $100 gift just might turn into $1 million
sometime down the road.”
Melissa Rake is assistant editor of Ohio Today.
How
you can help
There are several ways to participate in the Bicentennial Campaign
that match your personal circumstances and desires. Here are some
options along with ways to get more information. |
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Annual Giving
The Fund for Ohio raises private gifts for the 10 academic colleges
and major units. Any gift can be designated to a specific area or
split between multiple areas.
• www.ohiou.edu/campaign/annual.html or Larry Lafferty, (740)
593-2639 or lafferty@ohio.edu. For information on stock transfers
and e-trades, contact Susan Downard at (740) 593-2632 or downard@ohio.edu.
Planned Giving
Through Planned Giving, donors can make financial arrangements now
to provide a gift to the University at a future date. Estate and
financial planning vehicles allow donors to assist the campus program
of their choice and also benefit their tax situation.
•www.ohiou.edu/campaign/planned.html or Robert Conrad, (740)
593-4797 or conrad@ohio.edu.
Corporate and Foundation Gifts
Support from corporations and foundations may be in the form of
cash, equipment and other in-kind gifts.
• Deborah Eschenbacher, (740) 593-0072 or eschenba@ohio.edu.
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Leadership and Major
Gifts
Leadership and major gifts of $100,000 or more allow for the establishment
of endowed chairs, professorships, lectureships, fellowships and
scholarships.
• Glen Kerkian, (740) 593-2637 or kerkian@ohio.edu; or Molly
Mayo Tampke, (740) 597-1603 or tampkem@ohio.edu.
Ways
to give
Gifts can be made by check, credit card, stock transfer, e-trade
and planned giving, or you can make a pledge online.
•Checks should be made out to The Ohio University Foundation
and sent to P.O. Box 869, Athens, Ohio 45701-0869.
•To make a gift by credit card, call 1-800-592-FUND.
•To pledge online, visit www.ohiou.edu/campaign/pledge.html
or print out the pledge form and mail it to the foundation at
the address above.
For more information
Visit the Web at www.ohiou.edu/campaign/ or call 1-800-592-FUND.
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