Alumnus makes $25 million gift commitment for KU


LAWRENCE – A University of Kansas alumnus is so appreciative of his education that he has made a $25 million gift commitment to benefit the university.

The donor, who requested to remain anonymous, said he had been thinking for years about establishing estate plans to benefit KU. He said he appreciated the education he received at KU, where he received scholarship support, and he felt it was important to give back.

Of his planned gift, 80 percent will benefit the outreach programs of the KU Alumni Association, and 20 percent will be equally divided between support for alumni scholarships and the Greater KU Fund, which supports the university’s greatest needs. This would be the largest gift ever for the KU Alumni Association.

"This commitment to the Greater KU Fund will help us achieve our bold aspirations for the university by targeting resources to our top priorities, as well as supporting future generations of Jayhawks through student scholarships. This is a truly generous commitment, and one that will have long-lasting benefits," said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

Kevin Corbett, president of the KU Alumni Association, expressed gratitude. “This generous donor takes a very long-term and high-level view of what drives the success of the University of Kansas by making a commitment to further engage and mobilize KU’s greatest strength — its graduates. The storied success of KU has always been dependent on graduates who have been generous, and who have lent their knowledge and talents to improve the value of the KU degree. This gift will ensure that this tradition will continue in the years to come for the university.”

The gift counts toward Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, the university’s $1.2 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign. Far Above seeks support to educate future leaders, advance medicine, accelerate discovery and drive economic growth to seize the opportunities of the future.

The campaign is managed by KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.