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The Stories Behind the Gifts
Bill and Ruth Lubic Make $500,000 Bequest to FNU
FNU Trustees and long-time supporters William J. “Bill” Lubic, JD, and Ruth Watson Lubic, CNM, Ed.D, FAAN, FACNM, have made a pair of $250,000 bequests to FNU. The joint $500,000 total is designated in support of the university’s capital campaign to build the Versailles campus.
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“We hope that the decades of fruitful and professional relationships with Frontier Nursing University and its early-on Nursing Service will be recognized,” the Lubics wrote to FNU President Dr. Susan Stone regarding the bequest. “It has been remarkable for us to witness your long-term successful and insightful management of institutional and educational goals while improving dimensions in the delivery of quality education and superior health care. Your successful distance learning program, reaching deep into the urban/rural nexus with preceptors, is quite an achievement and certainly has been widely taken hold of and recognized around the country.” “Words cannot express how grateful we are for the incredible generosity of Ruth and Bill Lubic,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “Renowned experts and leaders in their fields, their been invaluable to Frontier Nursing our Versailles campus.” providers of maternity care with physician world, this model helps place quality services within reach of underserved, low-income populations. An advocate for such innovations as freestanding birthing centers, Dr. Lubic is respected for her equal dedication to quality of care and family empowerment.
She co-founded the National Association of Childbearing Centers, has inspired creation of more than 300 free-standing birth centers, and was named an American Academy of Nursing Living Legend in 2001. In 1993, she became the first nurse ever to receive a
support, guidance, and friendship have Ruth and Bill Lubic University. Their countless contributions Dr. Lubic has received honorary degrees and to their professions, communities, and to recognition from 10 different universities, FNU will leave a lasting legacy for decades including an honorary doctorate from to come and we are honored that they have FNU in 2011 in recognition of her lifelong chosen to have a permanent presence on contributions to midwifery. Ruth Lubic, one of the leaders of the of the Maternity Care Association for 25 American midwifery movement, has had years, is the founder and president emeritus a monumental influence on the delivery of the Developing Family Center in of maternity care and child health care in Washington, D.C. The service is designed the United States. She has championed to improve the health and quality of life of personalized care during pregnancy and all childbearing and childrearing families, childbirth for all women, particularly those including those of low income, who suffer in low-income neighborhoods. Dr. Lubic high rates of infant and maternal perinatal has promoted midwives as the primary morbidity and mortality. MacArthur Fellowship. Dr. Lubic, who was the general director collaboration as an effective and less costly She is a charter member of the National alternative to the physician-based care Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine commonly practiced in the United States. and, in 2001, received the Academy’s Widely used throughout the industrialized prestigious Lienhard Award. Also in 2001, the American Academy of Nursing named her a Living Legend. The American College of Nurse-Midwives honored her with its highest recognition, the Hattie Hemschemeyer Award, 1983. In 1995, she was appointed an expert consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health and Science. She is an Honorary Member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society, and, in 2006, she received the American Public Health Association’s Martha May Eliot Award.
Dr. Lubic received an R.N. (1955) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and a B.S. (1959), an M.A. (1961), and an Ed.D. (1979) from Columbia University Teachers College. In addition to numerous articles, she is the coauthor of Childbearing: A Book of Choices (1987).
Bill Lubic is a retired founding partner of the law firm, Kagan, Lubic, Lepper, Finkelstein, & Gold, LLP. Mr. Lubic practiced law for 20 years prior to co-founding the firm in 1973. Mr. Lubic and his partner, the late Robert Kagan, became well known for their work in community activism on Manhattan’s West Side and their participation in the evolution of the West Side Urban Renewal Plan. They became well known for their leadership role in this area and the firm is now recognized as one of the most active and influential in New York.
Mr. Lubic was formerly counsel for the Northeast Neighborhood Health Association, the Chinatown Health Clinic, and for their land and building site developments. He was a member of the Community Board’s Select Committee for West Side Urban Renewal Site Designation. He was the recipient of the Public Advocate Award from the National Association of Childbearing Centers (NACC) in 2004 and was instrumental in the establishment in New York of the ACNM Foundation. Most important of all, Bill and Ruth have been devoted life partners supporting each other’s work and goals for more than 65 years.
Understanding Planned Giving
The generous bequest by Dr. and Mr. Lubic represents one of many ways to make a planned gift. There are many different types of planned gifts and it is best to discuss the option that works best for you with a professional financial advisor. What follows is some basic information about the variety of planned gifts and how each is administered.
What is a planned gift?
A planned gift is often an important option for those who would like to make a major gift. Also known as a deferred gift, a planned gift is created now for a future benefit that can occur during or after the lifetime of the donor or of another beneficiary, such as a spouse or child. Payment of planned gifts can be a one-time distribution or the regular payment of specific or variable amounts. Some planned gifts give you the option of changing the gift commitment (revocable), while others do not (irrevocable).
You may use a variety of assets to establish a planned gift, including cash, securities, real or personal property, life insurance policies, retirement funds, or other financial accounts.
Tax consequences can be considerable and vary according to the type and size of a planned gift. You should consult with a legal and/or financial advisor to determine the best type of gift for you and the best time to make the gift. A planned gift can maximize your giving potential and can even ensure future financial security for you or a loved one.
Planned Giving Options
Charitable Remainder Trusts A charitable remainder trust is an irrevocable trust that offers two gift options: With an annuity trust, the donor creates a qualifying trust that provides a fixed income for one or more individuals for a specified term of years; at the end of the term, the principal is given to one or more charities. With a unitrust, beneficiaries receive a fixed percentage of the current value of the trust assets, which are revalued annually.
Charitable Gift Annuity The donor gives cash or securities to create an irrevocable trust, and the charity pays a fixed annuity income to one or more individuals for life. Rates are recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities. Annual payments can be deferred to a specific time, such as the retirement age of the beneficiary.
Charitable Lead Trust The opposite of a charitable remainder trust, the charitable lead trust created by the donor pays an annuity or unitrust amount to a charity and the remainder to the donor or another beneficiary at the end of the trust term.
Pooled Income Fund The donor gives cash or securities to a charity’s pooled investment fund, which includes gifts from other donors. Participants receive a share of the fund’s annual income during their lifetimes. At the donor’s death, the original gift is removed from the fund and is used by the charity for its own purposes.
Remainder Interest The donor deeds a personal residence or a farm to a charity with a right for one or more individuals to use the property for a specified time when the rights of the property are transferred to the charity. Charitable Bequests These are the most popular types of planned gifts. The donor designates a charity to receive a bequest from a will. Bequests are either a specific amount, a percentage amount of the estate’s value, or the remainder or residual amount of the estate. If you wish to remember FNU in your will, this form is suggested: “I hereby give, devise and bequeath the sum of… dollars (or other described property) to Frontier Nursing University, an educational institution organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” Stock Gifts You can donate your appreciated stock directly to FNU. For information on how you can transfer stocks directly to us please contact our Chief Advancement Officer at angela.bailey@frontier.edu or at 859-251-4573.
Other Gifts These types of gifts stand on their own or in combination as part of your giving plans: • Cash • Marketable Securities • Real Estate • Closely Held Securities • Life Insurance • IRAs and Other Retirement Plans • Tangible Personal Property
The Memory of Lin Bolle Martahus Lives on Via Scholarship
It began with a phone call in December 2016. Elaine Bolle and Lester Levine called Frontier Nursing University to learn more about how FNU operates and what makes the university successful. In particular, they were searching for ideas that were working, particularly in rural areas, and that could be replicated. Just over three years later, they endowed a scholarship for FNU students.
“When we were approached about creating a scholarship for Frontier Nursing, it only made sense to name it after Lin,” Elaine Bolle said. “She was a caring nurse, mother and sister. What better way to honor her memory.”
The Lin Bolle Scholarship has been created in memory of Linda Bolle Martahus. Ms. Martahus was born and raised in Michigan. A gifted student and athlete, she excelled in swimming and track She graduated from Duke University’s School of Nursing in 1976. Upon graduation, she worked at Duke University Hospital, rising to head nurse of adult surgery. She eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, where she worked as a head nurse at the Cleveland Clinic and the University Hospital of Cleveland. She was known as a tireless advocate for her patients, their families, and her staff. She married Craig Martahus in 1986 and together they raised three children.
Ms. Martahus died in 1997 at the age of 43 after being struck by a drunk driver. This scholarship is being given in honor of her life and her passion for excellent patient care.
“Lin was my sister-in-law,” Elaine Bolle said. “I met her when she was 9 years old and I was in high school, so we grew up together. She was really my sister. We were very close. Lin was a very caring person and devoted to family. Her mother died just weeks before Lin’s wedding. It was my honor to help her through those bittersweet days. She played a very special role in the lives of my two sons, Jeff and Tim, sharing their love of sports. Lin traveled through a blizzard to attend Jeff’s Bar Mitzvah knowing how important that celebration was to Jeff. Tim continued the special connection by naming his daughter after Lin. It is a Jewish tradition that one lives on in the memories of others. That is definitely true for Lin. She died while she was helping others —a car was stalled on the highway. She got out to help. That is when she was killed by a drunk driver. It was just before Christmas.”
The Lin Boll Endowment Fund was created with a gift of $75,000 by Mr. Levine and Ms. Bolle on January 28, 2020. Any person or organization may make contributions to the Lin Bolle Endowment Fund. The Fund is to be used to provide a scholarship to a Frontier Nursing University student. The Lin Bolle Scholarship will be award to a student pursuing a degree in Family Practice or Nurse-Midwifery, whose race or ethnicity has been historically underrepresented at the University, who has overcome hardship, and who wants to use her or his education to help those living in a medically underserved area. “We are so grateful for this generous gift in honor of the memory of such an incredible woman and leader in nursing,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “Her spirit of helping others will live on through this scholarship and we thank her remarkable family for the thoughtful and inspiring gift.”
FNU’s Office of Financial Aid will award the Lin Bolle Scholarship according to the same process as other endowed scholarships using the criteria outlined in the endowment. Stud ents will submit applications, the Scholarship Committee will review and score them, and the Director of Financial Aid will select the students to receive the scholarship awards based on the scholarship’s requirements. The amount of the scholarship will be determined by the financial policies of the University.
FNU Scholarships Reduce Financial Burden
Even though FNU’s low tuition rates compare favorably to other institutions and the university places a priority on affordability, most FNU students still accrue an average loan debt of $60,000. In 2019, 84% of all FNU students received federal student loans. The majority of FNU students are working adults with families, making the cost of higher education and the subsequent loan payments a potential financial strain. FNU continually seeks to reduce this financial burden via donations, bequests, grants, and other funding sources. Additionally, FNU donors, such as Elaine Bolle and Lester Levine, have helped establish more than 25 scholarships available for students based on varying criteria. If you are interested in establishing a scholarship, please contact Chief Advancement Officer Angela Bailey, MA, CFRE, at 859-251-4573 or angela.bailey@frontier.edu.
Year
2016
2017
2018
2019
Donor Funded Scholarships
$82,650
$189,925
$122,225
$386,310
Federal Grants & Scholarships
$350,000
$115,000
$227,508
$772,000
Total Scholarships & Grants
$432,650
$304,925
$349,733
$1,158,310
Average Loan Debt of Graduates
$57,161
$62,618
$66,448
$67,851 Percentage of Students Using Loans
82%
80%
85%
82%
Jean Owens Donates $55,000 to FNU Student Emergency Fund
Ms. Jean Owenst (left) Susan Stone (right) Ms. Jean Owens has been a dedicated supporter of FNU for more than 30 years, regularly giving to the annual fund. This spring, as the COVID-19 Pandemic took hold of the country, she was moved to make her first donation to FNU’s student emergency fund.
Now retired, Ms. Owens spent her career as a public servant in municipal government and water safety analysis. Her mother taught her the value of a dollar and not spending frivolously. She prefers, instead, to help others with her generosity and has demonstrated her appreciation for the mission and vision of FNU and its students.
“I appreciate what Frontier does and I am happy to support them,” Ms. Owens said. “I always wish them well in their work.” Her gift of $55,000 to the student emergency fund supports FNU students in times of need caused by disasters, illnesses, or other extreme circumstances, enabling them to continue their studies. Her impact on these students is immeasurable, as is their impact on our nation’s healthcare system.
“Jean Owens has been a tremendous friend and supporter of Frontier for so many years,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone said. “This donation to the student emergency fund is so impactful for students during their times of urgent, unforeseen need. It is a gift befitting of her amazing generosity and caring for others.”
FNU’s Student Emergency Fund provides grants to students who have unexpected financial situations that threaten their ability to continue their studies. It gives them the financial assistance needed to continue their programs by addressing the monetary shortfalls resulting from personal misfortunes or natural disasters.
The Student Emergency Fund is not a scholarship to cover tuition or the routine costs of attending FNU such as participating in classes or taking exams. These grants are given only to meet significant loss due to true emergencies such as fire, natural disaster, catastrophic medical injuries, and/or illness. The grants are given to cover expenses such as transportation costs, housing, and damage to computers. Today our students are experiencing the unexpected costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic such as family members becoming unemployed and no access to childcare or school for their children. All gifts made to this fund are given directly to students.
In administering the Student Emergency Fund, FNU requests documentation from each applicant. All requests are evaluated and approved by a faculty committee before being dispersed. Every gift helps students cope with financial burdens so they can continue their education.
“My husband and I were blessed with our second baby girl [in November]. We are so thankful that she and I are okay, but the birth was very traumatic for all of us. I ended up requiring an emergency c-section and ended up having a large postpartum hemorrhage. As a result, we have several extra medical costs and are requiring housing away from home (I am in my clinical rotation location) a bit longer. Your generosity will help to ease the financial burden we are feeling right now. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
-- FNU Student Emergency Fund grant recipient
