Development News

Unique Projects
in Need
Many special projects in the College would not exist without the generousity of our alumni and friends. Here are several programs that have unique needs and are searching for the right friends to meet them. Which project would be the most meaningful to you?

• Make a beautiful statement: Rose garden trellising for the University of Kentucky/Lexington Fayette-Urban County Government Arboretum. The arboretum's new 1,000-plant rose garden was planted this spring. Help us construct trellising to support the beautiful climbing varieties. Donors will be recognized on a special bronze plaque placed in the garden ($1,500).
• Offer a place to rest: Walk Across Kentucky sculptural benches. Unique, artisan-designed sculptural benches along the Walk Across Kentucky path will provide visitors the opportunity to stop, rest, and enjoy a variety of aesthetic experiences, both natural and created. ($4,000).
• Help young minds grow: UK Arboretum intern fellowships. Fellowships will provide students the opportunity to gain practical experience at the arboretum. Students will work with staff and volunteers in activities ranging from landscape maintenance and garden installation to marketing and educational programming, depending on the student's area of interest. Fellowships will be named by the donor and recognized by the Friends of the Arboretum ($3,000).
• Keep 'em rolling: Travel of students in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) to competitions. Each year, BAE students construct a quarter-scale tractor to take to the national pulling competition sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, an opportunity to compete against other universities around the world. It's the ultimate test to see how UK's student engineers rank against those at other universities. At the competitions, students are also able to network with professionals in the machinery industry and faculty and students from other universities. Funding is limited, so students must rely on support from alumni, friends, and companies for travel support each year ($13,500).
• Raise talent for the equine industry: This new, innovative partnership between the University and the Kentucky horse industry will place talented youth in an environment where they can develop the potential and desire to pursue horse-oriented careers. This three-part program will attract students to UK through a summer camp on careers in the horse industry, recruit the ablest and brightest with scholarships, and augment the curriculum with an equine scholars program. (horse camp, $7,500 a year; six scholarships, $30,000 a year; scholars program $5,000 a year).
• Provide career-building skills: The UK chapter of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) wants to send a delegation of about 16 students to the MANRRS National Conference and Career Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, in March 2004. At the conference, the MANNRS students will join other undergraduate and graduate students from across the nation to talk about people of color in relation to issues in agriculture and natural resources. Topics include marketing, food production, interviewing, leadership, professional growth, and communicating via the Internet ($2,000).
• Sow Seeds of Understanding: The College's Hall's Prairie restoration project in Logan County is under way and is beginning to attract waterfowl and rare butterflies to its natural environment. However, wildlife is not the only thing attracted to the prairie. Local educators see its educational possibilities, and UK students have been working and learning at the site. In order to fund Hall's Prairie's educational component, a permanent endowment must be established to generate annual support ($10,000).
• Build the future: Most of our agriculture students need scholarships to help with education expenses, but our current scholarships meet only a very small percentage of that need. We need to substantially expand our scholarship program. Full tuition scholarships ($4,000 per year) and tuition and housing scholarships ($8,100 per year) are particularly desired.
  For example, attracting state 4-H and FFA leaders to the UK College of Agriculture means we must be able to offer them scholarships. In the past, we have missed some opportunities because little or no scholarship support was available. If you were in 4-H and/or FFA or have a heart for students in these programs, please consider creating a scholarship.
  Another example is scholarships for students in Alpha Gamma Rho, CERES, and FarmHouse. If you were a member of AGR, CERES, or FarmHouse, why not fund a scholarship for one or more of your fellow brothers or sisters?

If you would like more information about one of these projects or need assistance finding the project that meets your interests, please call
Bill Sheets at (859) 257-7200 or e-mail him at wsheets@uky.edu. All gifts are tax-deductible.

Horticulture Fund Established to Honor
Robert E. McNiel

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This permanent fund has been created with the help of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, and a dollar-for-dollar match has been made by the state's Research Challenge Trust Fund. However, we must raise $25,000 in additional gifts and pledges in order to meet our commitment for the match. To date, more than $6,500 has been raised, but we need at least $19,000 more. We can reach that goal with your help.

By giving to the Robert E. McNiel Horticulture Enrichment Fund, many former students, industry professionals, colleagues, and friends are acknowledging Dr. McNiel and the learning opportunities he creates beyond the classroom. They are ensuring that future generations of students will have the resources they need to enrich their education and careers.

If you are interested in joining the effort to honor
Dr. McNiel, please contact
Kathy Ibendahl
in Ag Alumni and Development at

(859) 257-7211 or

kibendah@uky.edu

Capital Campaign
Gifts & Pledges

As of Dec. 31, 2002

UK Campaign Goal:
$600,000,000

UK Campaign Commitments:
$557,359,021

Percentage of Goal: 93%

College of Agriculture Goal: $54,500,000

College Campaign Commitments: $55,394,438

Percentage of Goal: 101.6 %

Jeff Pendleton, outgoing alumni association president, presented a $60,000 "check" to Dean Scott Smith at December's Winter Event for alumni pledges made during the 2002 phonathon.

Everyone Benefits from

A Gift Annuity

Would you like to receive an additional income for life? Would you like to provide a fixed income for the life of a loved one? How would you like to save on taxes this year?

If any of these possibilities sounds interesting to you, why not consider a charitable gift annuity? UK is excited to offer a new way to benefit our donors as well as the University.

• How does a gift annuity work?
  In return for a contribution, and pursuant to a signed agreement, UK agrees to make fixed payments for life to the donor or the donor's designee. The minimum amount to establish an annuity is $10,000.
• Who may receive payments from the annuity?
  Payments may be made to up to two beneficiaries. While typically donors name themselves as benficiaries, an annuity can also be established to benefit someone else, such as a parent or sibling.
• What will be the amount of my payments?
  Annuity payments will be determined at the time the annuity is created and will be based on the age(s) of the beneficiaries at that time.
  Are there tax advantages with a gift annuity?
  Yes. The donor receives a charitable tax deduction in the year of the gift. In addition, a portion of the annuity payments will be tax-free, representing a return of the principal contributed.
• How does a gift annuity benefit UK?
  At the end of the beneficiary's life (or, with a two-life annuity, the end of both lives), the remainder of the principal transferred will be used to support the work of UK.
• Can I contribute securities or real estate for a gift annuity?
  Yes. In fact, contributing highly appreciated assets that have been held for more than 12 months offers additional tax savings. The donor pays no tax on the capital gain attributable to the charitable gift portion of the contribution. If the donor is a beneficiary, the gain attributable to the annuity payments does not need to be recognized in the year of the gift but can be reported in equal increments over the donor's life expectancy.
• I don't need additional income now, so is a gift annuity wrong for me?
  Not necessarily. A donor may want to consider a deferred annuity with payments to begin at some time in the future.
  The charitable deduction is still received in the year of the gift, which may help offset current, higher income.

For more information on charitable gift annuities,
contact the Ag Alumni and Development office at (859) 257-7200
or Bill Sheets, director for advancement, at wsheets@uky.edu.

What Will Be
Your Legacy?

Is it your desire to create a perpetual legacy that will have a constant impact on the lives of others? Consider the UK Bequest Society, a program that recognizes alumni and friends who include the University of Kentucky in their wills.

Create Your Legacy

• Designate your gift to support a college or program that is important to you.
• Honor or memorialize a loved one in perpetuity through a named gift opportunity.
• Enhance the University's quest for excellence in the 21st century.
• Specify any amount in your will.
  There is no minimum required for membership.

For more information, please contact:

Dion Guest,
Associate Director of Planned Giving
229 William B. Sturgill Development Building
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0015

(859) 257-7303 or (800) 875-6272

jdgues1@email.uky.edu

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