A generous endowment gift from the estate of two ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ grandparents will help make possible life-changing global study experiences as the university seeks to provide 100 percent access to these programs for all students.
By Jaleh Hagigh
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ has received a generous endowment gift from the estate of two ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ grandparents that will help broaden access to life-changing study abroad experiences.
The gift from the estate of Jane and Frank Craig of Melbourne Beach, Fla., will support the Darcy Craig Grathwohl Memorial Scholarship for Study Abroad. The scholarship is named in memory of the Craigs’ daughter, who was an ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ parent and believed strongly in the power of global engagement to prepare young people for success. The Craigs made a planned gift by establishing a charitable remainder trust, which allows donors to provide for themselves during their lifetime while also supporting ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ in the future.
In a 2013 interview with The Magazine of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, Jane Craig said their gift honored one of their daughter’s long-standing wishes.
“Darcy mentioned many times that if she ever had enough money, she would love to sponsor somebody and help them study abroad,” Jane said. “It’s a wonderful gift for the school and for her.”
The Darcy Craig Grathwohl Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 through an endowment gift from ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ parent Tom Grathwohl P’11 ’13, who made the gift to honor his wife Darcy’s legacy following her death in 2007. The family decided to support global study after seeing the personal growth experienced by Darcy and Tom’s children, David Edge ’11 and Nathan Edge ’13.
Tom Grathwohl has also made a planned gift that will support the scholarship in the future.
Increasingly, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ alumni, parents, and grandparents are choosing to endow scholarships and support other institutional priorities through planned gifts. These gifts form a vital pipeline of support that will help secure ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s future.
Woody Pelton, dean of global education and director of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, said funding for scholarships is vital to providing 100 percent access to a global study experience, which is one of the goals envisioned in the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Commitment strategic plan.
“The world is becoming more complex every day, which makes it more important than ever to introduce our students to the world through our study abroad and Study USA programs,” Pelton said. “We are working hard to broaden access to global experiences so all ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ students have the opportunity to participate.”
Record numbers of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ students have participated in the university’s study abroad and Study USA programs during 2015-2016. More than 1,100 students, faculty and staff participated in a total of 45 programs around the world during the January Winter Term.