Brown Office of Planned Giving

Pembroke College in Brown University, which I entered in 1961, was the perfect place for me. Brown and Pembroke were big enough to be interesting and small enough to be real. The coordinate structure afforded women great scope, both academically and extracurricularly. It wasn’t until I got to law school that I realized the Pembroke world wasn’t real, that there was relatively little opportunity for women to be full participants in the real world. READ MORE...

»  Nancy L. Buc '65

When I retired from teaching at Brown, I was looking for new things to do. I remained active with students as a Faculty Fellow, holding weekly Tuesday night open houses for undergraduate students. I learned a lot from them about student life. Many worked two or three jobs and hardly managed to cover their expenses. They came to my open houses not only for interaction with me but also for the fabulous food that I served them. My homemade brownies were infamous.

After retirement I was looking for some little way to help at least one student financially, and a scholarship seemed like the perfect way to reach that goal. President Simmons had announced her plan for need-blind admission, and I thought that perhaps just one more scholarship might help her achieve one of her goals. READ MORE...

»  Professor Richard A. Ellis ADE '62

When I was at Brown, many unplanned events ended up working in my favor. I had applied in 1968 under the ‘old’ curriculum, but arrived in fall 1969 simultaneously with, and ended up studying under, the ‘new.’ Freed from ‘distribution’ requirements, I explored various areas, eventually shifting my concentration from chemistry to mathematics. Then, after a chance encounter with some law-related books left by a Political Science graduate student in a carrel at the Rock, I started thinking about law school. Luckily, I had the flexibility necessary to adjust my course to accommodate that goal. That initial spark of interest led to a fulfilling career.
As I grew older, however, I realized that such accommodating flexibility was rare, and that careful planning was essential for a secure future. I was already giving to Brown—mindful of those who had done so before me—and had thought of putting the University in my will ‘someday.’ When it was suggested that I have a conversation with the planned giving staff I was receptive but a bit hesitant to subject myself to what I expected would be a series of ‘pitches.’ But they listened; they were responsive. They were really helpful and had suggestions I may never have thought of! And the vehicle we chose will benefit both me and Brown.
I am grateful that, in no small part due to my four years at Brown, I am in a financial position that enables me to give back. If you are, too, shouldn’t you consider yourself lucky, and consider giving back to the University that gave you so much? I found it to be a great plan.

»  Thomas Leahey '73

Newell Morton '32 committed his life to leading and influencing others behind the scenes, without publicity and without recognition. I have found myself becoming more and more proud of his accomplishments as a teacher, coach, and community volunteer. He loved Brown University, and, without recognition of any kind, he introduced Brown to many young people in our town of Reading, Massachusetts. He made it possible for me and for others to enter Brown and for even more to attain an appreciation for the solid values of our society as reflected by Brown University. My gift honors Newt’s legacy and will support Brown scholars for generations to come.

»  Anonymous Donor

The John A. Wilson '23 National Scholarship has afforded me the opportunity to make the most of my Brown education by reducing financial stress for me and my family. I've been able to participate in wrestling and other cocurricular activities with less worry about debt.

»  John Csuka '04

Meeting with the family who established the scholarship that supports my studies here has strengthened my connection to the Brown experience. Hearing John Wilson's story from his son has inspired me to give back to Brown after I graduate.

»  Margaret Kim '07

My father came to Brown thanks to scholarship support, and he benefited greatly from his education and experiences at Brown. My mother, brother, and I endowed a scholarship in his honor to provide the ability to others to follow in his footsteps. Having witnessed how well the scholarship has worked for some very fine students at Brown, I decided to invest more into the endowed fund through a planned gift. From a financial perspective, I find that it is a good addition to an overall estate plan, providing me with initial tax benefits, experienced money management, and ongoing tax-advantaged income.

»  David R. Wilson '60

The Seaver Chair is a milestone for me and the University . . . The gift of the Adele Kellenberg Seaver '49 bequest will enable us to further deepen our commitment to developing some of the most exciting and diverse new voices in contemporary playwriting . . . and help us continue to build a growing national circle of theatre artists who were nurtured here at Brown University . . . I am honored to bear her name.

»  Paula Vogel, Adele Kellenberg Seaver '49 Professor of Creative Writing

I chose to pursue my graduate studies at Brown based on the strong reputation of the Chemistry Department and because I was so impressed by the campus and the city of Providence. I have served as a teaching assistant at Brown for six semesters, and I've found the collaborative culture that exists among the faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates has greatly helped my work, which is focused on very fast photo-chemical reactions that occur in a protein functional-group within Vitamin D. The stipend that I received last summer from the Hart Fellowship enabled me to devote full attention to my dissertation as I work toward completing my Ph.D. this spring.

»  Wei Cheng, Chemistry

John M. Crawford, Jr. was one of the great American collectors of Chinese painting and calligraphy. During his lifetime, he opened his home and collections to generations of students like me for study and scholarly fellowship. His legacy continues at Brown today through his bequest and the John M. Crawford, Jr. Book Fund. His generosity has helped us to build collections of books and teaching materials that form the core of undergraduate study and graduate student training in the arts of East Asia at Brown. Among the Crawford Fund acquisitions, superb facsimiles of important Chinese paintings—like Zhao Mengfu’s revolutionary Autumn Colors, dated 1296, pictured here—make it possible for Brown students to closely study objects here in Providence that exist only in museums far away in East Asia. We use these books and objects every teaching day. My students and I are very grateful to Mr. Crawford's commitment to the history of Chinese art at Brown.

»  Maggie Bickford
Professor and Chair, Department of History of Art and Architecture