Washington and Lee THE CLASS OF 1971 University Celebrating 50 years
CLASS OF 1971 50TH REUNION Your Gift, Your Legacy The 50th reunion year is the pinnacle of Washington and Lee’s reunion program, and it only comes around once in a lifetime. This golden reunion celebrates the enduring relationship between your class and W&L. It is a time to reflect on your transformative experience, and it is an opportunity to look to the future.
Create a legacy that will inspire the next generation of exceptional W&L students.
GOAL SUMMARY AND WAYS TO MAKE A GIFT Goal Summary:
$1M for the Annual Fund (2021–2025)
$3M for The Class of 1971 Washington and Lee Scholarship Endowment
$1.5M for The Class of 1971 R.E. Lee Summer Research Endowment
60% overall reunion giving participation
Ways to Make Your 50th Reunion Gift: ■
Cash, credit card or check payable to Washington and Lee University
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IRA qualified charitable distribution (QCD)
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Recommend a grant from your donor-advised fund (DAF)
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Stocks, bonds and mutual funds
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Planned gifts
◗ Bequests
◗ IRA and retirement plan beneficiary designations
◗ Charitable trusts
◗ Charitable gift annuities
◗ Life insurance
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Closely held business interests
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Real estate
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W&L pooled income fund
GIVING INFORMATION The Class of 1971 continues the longstanding 50th-reunion tradition of generously giving back to Washington and Lee. While reunions are often associated with looking back, the 50th milestone at W&L is forward-looking as each class leaves a legacy that will benefit students of the future. To that end, the Class of 1971 has created two class projects, the Class of 1971 Washington and Lee Scholarship Endowment, and the Class of 1971 R.E. Lee Summer Research Endowment, for an overall reunion goal of $5.5 million to honor your milestone year. The 50th reunion giving campaign is the embodiment of the spirit of W&L and the ultimate demonstration of alumni loyalty. Class of 1971 Washington and Lee Scholarship Endowment
Class of 1971 R.E. Lee Summer Research Endowment
The Class of 1971 Washington and Lee Scholarship Endowment is a permanently endowed fund providing scholarship awards to students with financial need. Scholarship support ensures that the very best students are able to take full advantage of the W&L experience. This reunion class project directly responds to the university’s need to increase financial aid so that Washington and Lee can admit the strongest applicants, regardless of financial circumstances, further enhancing a truly exceptional academic community.
The Class of 1971 R.E. Lee Summer Research Endowment is a permanently endowed fund at Washington and Lee University providing financial resources for undergraduate students to take part in interdisciplinary summer research experiences. W&L recognizes that learning isn’t limited to the classroom. A summer research experience with a scholar-mentor deepens a student’s academic interests and helps prepare them for what follows after graduation.
Admitting the strongest applicants — regardless of financial circumstances — has long been a W&L tradition, but the need is greater than ever.
Annual Fund The Annual Fund is a vital part of Washington and Lee’s annual budget, and the Class of 1971 has a remarkably strong record of financial gifts. The fund acts as a vehicle for alumni and others to make an important impact on students providing operating support to augment every aspect of educational life at W&L — from the library to the lab, intercollegiate sports and cocurricular experiences. The Class of 1971 aims to raise $300,000 for the 2020–2021 Annual Fund and a total of $1,000,000 over five years through fiscal year 2024–2025. Your support this year and every year is important. Any pledge you make now to support the Annual Fund this year and in the next four years counts for your Class of 1971 gift to
W&L. Thank you for making the Annual Fund your priority as you consider how to make your reunion gifts.
Planned Gifts In addition to outright gifts, planned giving can be a creative and advantageous way to support Washington and Lee, while simultaneously providing benefits to you and your family. Bequests, retirement plans, charitable gift annuities and other deferred gifts allow donors to make sizable and important contributions. There are a number of planned giving options, and W&L’s planned giving staff is available to assist you.
DIRECTED ANNUAL GIVING Support What Matters Directed giving recognizes the personal nature of philanthropy. Every W&L alumnus/a owes a part of their success to their unique experience at this distinctive university. Your time on campus made an impression on you. In addition to Unrestricted — the area of greatest need, you can give directly to areas of great personal significance, including financial aid, academics, the arts, athletics, diversity and inclusion, and student opportunities. In a year in which COVID-19 has altered campus life, Annual Fund dollars have allowed the university to meet the demand for increased safety, new facilities and technologies, and augmented programming to provide an experience many peer institutions simply cannot match. The strength of a W&L education lies not only in what we make available but also in what we make possible. An annual gift to the university is the best way to give every student, every year, every opportunity to succeed. Financial Aid:
The Arts:
The dollars provided by annual giving offsets the tuition cost for each student by $5,000 per year. Additionally, annual gifts by alumni, parents, and friends contribute to the generous need-based aid packages that make a W&L education accessible.
The arts at W&L extend beyond the classroom, enhancing the vibrancy of campus life through performances and exhibits, showcases and master classes, community outreach, traveling acts, museums and historical collections.
Academics:
Athletics:
W&L is committed to providing an education that is vital and relevant to the 21st century by emphasizing analytical thinking, personal integrity, and persuasive and evidential communication.
Gifts directed to support athletics go to the operating costs associated with our 24 varsity sports, club and intramural teams, and our first-rate facilities, including the newly renovated Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center. (continued)
Diversity and Inclusion: As engaged citizens in a global and diverse society, we seek to advance a positive learning and working environment for all. When you direct your gift to diversity and inclusion, you support programming, facilities, courses and resources that fulfill these promises. Student Opportunities: Gifts directed to student opportunities help ensure that every student may participate in the full W&L experience by providing funding for the programs and activities as well as financial assistance for experiences not covered by tuition and activity fees. Unrestricted — Area of Greatest Need: Gifts made without direction support the university’s remaining areas of greatest need. They provide the bulk of the 8% of the university operating budget supplied by the Annual Fund.
50th Reunion Committee
Staff Contacts
Buddy L eTourneau, Chair Bill A rvin M arc Bromley M att Cole John D uckworth Stacy E astland H enry H arkey Chip H arris B ob Jantzen R ocky K imball John K linedinst D rew Kumpuris Chris L ee John Mc C ardell L awrence Mc Connell M arshall M iller R ob M inor Bill Oast Staman O gilvie D onald Poppke Jim Swann Joe Tompkins M ike Truta Cliff Walters B ob Woodward
Erin Stringer Director of Reunion Giving 540-458-8424 estringer@wlu.edu M ary Webster Associate Director of Alumni Engagement 540-458-8886 mwebster@wlu.edu Jamie K illorin Director of Gift Planning 540-458-8429 jkillorin@wlu.edu Jenny David Senior Reunion Giving Coordinator 540-458-8943 jdavid@wlu.edu