Advancing the University

CI Donors Leave Legacies, Fund Futures

Legacy Society founding members honored at luncheon

By Marya Jones Barlow

Gabriel Guillen, a nurse and Community Health Supervisor at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, never met Margaret Garlock. But to the 2011 graduate of CI’s Nursing Program, Garlock is a hero. “In times of financial hardship, Margaret Garlock was a blessing to me and my family, helping me fulfill my goals of becoming a nurse and serving my community,” he said.

Guillen is one of nearly 800 CI students to date who have been able to pursue their education, thanks to the generosity of donor-funded scholarships. In Guillen’s case, he received the Margaret Garlock Nursing Scholarship, a Legacy gift which supported him through nursing school.

Legacy gifts are planned donations commonly made in wills, estate plans and charitable remainder trusts and annuities. They can be given all at once or pledged over a designated time period. Donors have flexibility to structure gifts to meet their financial, investment and charitable goals. In addition to the gratification of giving, these investments can provide benefits such as income tax deductions and avoiding estate taxes, probate and capital gains taxes. A CI volunteer group of financial services professionals, known as the Planned Giving Advisory Council (PGAC), offers its expertise free to anyone interested in making a donation to the University.

“Legacy gifts provide the foundation for growth and academic excellence at CI,” said Nichole Ipach, Vice President for University Advancement.

At a May 6 luncheon sponsored by Northern Trust—founding sponsor of CI’s Legacy Society —Ipach, President Rush, PGAC members, faculty, staff, and students welcomed and thanked CI’s founding group of Legacy Society donors. Rush also gave them the inside scoop on the latest University news and unveiled the Legacy Society Founders’ Plaque, which will be displayed in University Hall.

“With your generosity, you are paving the way for countless students to seek opportunity and thrive as productive leaders in our community and society,” Rush told attendees. “Your legacy enables CI to pursue high priority initiatives, such as new scholarships, programs, research, athletics, and facilities, that will augment our ability as your University to serve students, the region and—hopefully, one day soon—stand as a national model for education, innovation and partnership.”

One of the founding Legacy Society members is Don Rodriguez, Professor and Chair of CI’s Environmental Studies & Resource Management Program (ESRM), who is leaving a bequest to the University in his estate plans.

“As a faculty member, I’ve seen the impact this type of giving has on students that otherwise would not have the financial resources to attend a four-year college and on our University’s ability to serve them,” he said. “My bequest allows me to target underrepresented students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and ESRM and to know I am supporting future generations striving to better themselves and their world.”

Anyone who wishes to make a planned gift to CI through December 2014 will become a founding member of the Legacy Society, and will receive invitations to special events and name recognition on the Founders’ Plaque in University Hall. For more information, visit https://www.csuci.edu/giving/ or contact Nichole Ipach at 805-437-8893 or nichole.ipach@csuci.edu.