THERE IS NO QUESTION that we are facing challenging times—the subprime mortgage crisis, rising oil and gas prices, a faltering economy, and less money available for student loans. It can be difficult to think about making charitable gifts in times like these, but this is when places like the University and the College of Education and Human Development need your support more than ever.

There are a number of ways you can make a gift without making a dent in your monthly cash flow. Recently, an alumna made a generous estate gift through her will because she wanted to maintain her annual giving of $1,000 a year to the Department of Family Social Science and felt that a major gift out of her current income would preclude that.

Another donor established a large will bequest and then decided to set up a current scholarship—into which the bequest will eventually be added.

Estate gifts offer you a simple and, in some cases, a revocable way to give a future gift. Options include:

• + WILL BEQUEST—can be made in the form of property, a stated dollar amount, or a specifi ed percentage of your estate
• + RETIREMENT PLAN ASSETS—can be designated to the college when you name the University of Minnesota Foundation to receive all or some portion of your account assets
• + LIFE INSURANCE—can be designated to the college by naming the University of Minnesota Foundation as an irrevocable beneficiary and/or owner of the policy.

If you would like more information on making an estate gift — and benefiting future students and faculty—please contact the CEHD development office at 612-625-1310.

Lynn Slifer, director of external relations

SAMPLE LANGUAGE FOR WILL BEQUEST: “I give, devise, and bequeath to the University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455 [percentage of revenue, sum, or description of property], the principal and income of which shall be distributed by the Board of Trustees to the College of Education and Human Development for the purpose of [state purpose such as scholarships, unrestricted, program support, etc].”

New gifts and commitments to the college

Annual Donor Report, 2007-2008 [.pdf]

Drs. J. Andrew Holey and Gary S. Whitford have made a future gift of $250,000 through their estate to create the Whitford Holey Fellowship.

A gift of $154,000 from the estate of Mollie Soell Weinberg will benefit The Mollie and Meyer Weinberg Endowment for Child Development and Public Policy.

The Irving Harris Foundation has made a gift of $100,000 for the Irving B. Harris Institute for Infancy Training.

Jane H. McNamara has made a future gift of $100,000 through her estate to provide undergraduate scholarships for immigrant or foreign-born students.

The 3M Foundation has made a gift of $90,000 for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate fellowships.

Floyd A. Tweten has made a future gift of $60,000 through his estate to benefit the School of Kinesiology.

Karen Sternal has made gifts of $56,708 to benefit the I Have a Dream Scholarship program.

Professor Mary E. Corcoran has made a gift of $50,000 to benefit the Educational Evaluation and Policy Studies Fellowship Fund.

Jeanne Lupton has pledged $100,000 to create the Jeanne Traphagen Lupton Legacy Scholarship.

Dr. Matthew Stark has made a gift of $50,000 to create the Dr. Matthew Stark Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Faculty and Student Award.

Frank Braun has made a gift of $25,000 to benefit the CEHD Alumni Society Scholarship for Study Abroad.

Karyn Gruenberg Goldstein has made a future gift of $25,000 through her estate to benefit the Jimmy and Karyn Goldstein Scholarship Fund.

Thomas J. Libby has made a future gift of $25,000 through his estate to benefit the CEHD Art Education Endowed Fellowship Fund.

The Mardag Foundation has made a grant of $25,000 for the Learning Dreams program.