Radcliffe Alumna Gives Back Across the University Kris Snibbe Continued from Cover
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY PLANNED GIVING NEWS FALL 2014 JAMES F. ROTHENBERG AB ’68, MBA ’70 THE POWER OF PLANNED RADCLIFFE ALUMNA GIVING AT HARVARD GIVES BACK ACROSS James F. Rothenberg AB ’68, MBA ’70, THE UNIVERSITY former treasurer of Harvard University, chair of the Board of Directors of Harvard Pringle Hart Symonds AB ’56 may have Management Company (HMC), and spent her formative years on the campus chairman of Capital Group Companies, Inc., of Radcliffe College, as it was then shares his thoughts on One Harvard, his known, but her recent generosity reaches passion for the University, and what it across Harvard. Symonds has established means to have Harvard and HMC standing charitable gift annuities that support behind your planned gift. the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Q: What are the most important Study, Harvard Medical School (HMS), PRINGLE HART SYMONDS AB ’56 things you learned about Harvard as Harvard Business School (HBS), and the University’s treasurer? the Harvard College Library system, I have learned that Harvard is a complicated including Widener Library—where Pforzheimer Aronson AB ’56, the place. The University’s historical approach she once worked. These gifts provide daughter of longtime Radcliffe to financial management, which we know as Symonds with both steady income and supporters Carol Pforzheimer R ’31 “every tub on its own bottom,” has enormous tax benefits. and Carl Pforzheimer Jr. AB ’28, strengths. It has helped produce the The daughter of a naval officer, Symonds MBA ’30. Symonds says she gave excellence of each of the Schools. But there attended 17 schools prior to college, but to the Radcliffe Institute in honor are weaknesses to that approach as well, so by the time she was a high school junior, of Carol Pforzheimer, who died in we are always trying to find the right balance she had set her sights on Radcliffe. She 2010 after a lifetime of generosity between a strong and capable center that recalls her mother saying about college: to Radcliffe that took many forms— can help the Schools, and the inherent value “Do something that you will never be including the Carol K. Pforzheimer of entrepreneurship that autonomy gives able to do again in life.” And she did just Professorship; the directorship of the the Schools. In doing so, we have excellent that. While at Radcliffe, she majored in Schlesinger Library; and the Carol partners in each of the deans, who are French and seized the opportunity to K. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships. wonderful University citizens. spend her junior year in Paris. Additionally, Pforzheimer House is named for the Pforzheimer family, I have also learned that President Faust’s Through Radcliffe College, Symonds reflecting their long-standing support notion of One Harvard is very important made enduring friendships. One of Harvard. because it reflects the way human knowledge of her close friends is Nancy is expanding today and how people are CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 learning. There are so many subject areas that no longer apply to just one department ABOVE: STAINED GLASS WINDOWS BY SARAH WYMAN WHITMAN (1842–1904) IN THE SCHLESINGER or School and so many challenges that LIBRARY IN RADCLIFFE YARD AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY PHOTO: KRIS SNIBBE/HARVARD UNIVERSITY (HU) CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 JAMES F. ROTHENBERG PHOTO: KRIS SNIBBE/HU 1 PRINGLE HART SYMONDS PHOTO: COURTESY OF PRINGLE HART SYMONDS THE POWER OF PLANNED GIVING AT HARVARD CONTINUED FROM COVER require the close collaboration of several to give and where we will have the most behind you. You have Harvard Management Schools. How do you tackle a subject like impact. Company working for you, so you can be climate change, for example? Because it’s We support Harvard financially for the sure that your funds are being managed by not just science. It’s policy, law, business, same reason we give our time and energy: very talented people. It’s the combination ethics, education, and more. This is one of we believe Harvard has impact. As a family, of doing something for Harvard, helping the great advantages of Harvard. When we we have made education a big philanthropic yourself and your family with financial and take on a challenge, we get the best people thrust, and Harvard is our number-one tax planning, and having Harvard standing working on it together from every angle. priority. We support other areas and behind you. That’s a powerful concept. Q: Why have you chosen to allocate institutions as well, lots of things in our Q: Among gifts that pay income to a great deal of time and energy in community, and Anne has a great passion donors and are managed by HMC, key leadership roles at Harvard? for the Huntington Library, which also has the most popular investment option When I was considering whether to become a significant educational mission. But we over the past 10 years has been the Harvard endowment. Why is that, the treasurer of Harvard, my wife, Anne, always think about where we can have the and would you expect it to continue? said she knew that if I didn’t say yes, I’d most impact. regret it. And she was right. I said yes to Because I’ve been so actively involved When you look at an institution that has Harvard because I believe the work of this at Harvard, I can also see where dollars done well over the years, you should University is so important. There are so many are most needed and where even small ask yourself, “What are the factors that challenges in our country and in the world amounts can really help. For example, I have produced that success and will they today and so many ways that Harvard can made a gift to support House Renewal. I stay in place?” At Harvard, there may be help solve them. It would be very hard for me saw how important it was to Harvard, and changes in leadership at HMC, but with to walk away from helping Harvard do that. that is why I supported it. the board in place and the history of this University, you can feel comfortable that My football coach once said about me, Q: Harvard is a global leader in Harvard will sustain its excellence and “Show him a wall and he’ll try to knock it down.” planned giving. What makes Harvard commit the necessary resources for I think that captures how I feel about helping such an appealing place to establish hiring the right talent. Harvard be the best university it can be. a planned gift? I like to think that my company, Capital Making a planned gift is an excellent Q: Why do you and Anne support Group, has been around a long time, and Harvard financially, and how do way to support an institution you care it has been in business for 80 years. But you make your decisions about about and provide an ongoing benefit to when you compare that to what Harvard charitable giving? yourself—generating annual income and has achieved over many, many years, you handling estate and other tax issues in an Anne and I look at the whole perspective. understand that it’s the process and the efficient manner. Making a planned gift at After setting aside assets for our expanding commitment rather than a single person Harvard is something more because you family, we look at how much is available that is most important. have the staying power of this University Make a Difference. Make a Bequest. It is easy to support Harvard through a bequest—simply include the following language in your estate plan: “I give ( dollars or percent or all of the residue of my estate) to the President and Fellows of Harvard College, a Massachusetts educational, charitable corporation (for its general purposes or for the benefit of a School or Unit).” Bequests can be tailored to your interests. Please contact Harvard University’s Planned Giving team at 800-446-1277 or [email protected] for assistance. Thank you! RIGHT: VIEW OF THE SCIENCE CENTER THROUGH 2 THE ARCHES OF MEMORIAL HALL PHOTO: KRIS SNIBBE/HU DEAN’S GIFTS A ‘WIN-WIN’ FOR STUDENTS, FAMILY Q: What are the greatest challenges and opportunities Michael Shinagel PhD ’64, the longest- facing Harvard over the serving dean in Harvard University next 10 years? How will the history, calls investing with Harvard a University and HMC respond? “win-win.” Harvard faces two major financial challenges. The first is that net tuition Shinagel retired as dean of continuing growth will be modest over the next education and University extension in 2013 after 38 years of service to several years. The second challenge PIKE/HU JEFFREY PHOTO: the Division of Continuing Education, is that federal funding for scientific MICHAEL SHINAGEL PHD ’64 research, which especially affects the including 36 years as dean. Shinagel Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard says his Harvard annuities offer several Medical School, and Harvard School of advantages: his children receive a degrees in education, and eventually Public Health, is clearly going to remain dependable stream of yearly income became a high school principal. under pressure for some time to come. from the accounts established for them, “My hope for my scholarship fund is So we will not experience growth and his deferred charitable gift annuities that we get more people like that and do from tuition or government funding. help create a secure retirement fund for some good in the world,” Shinagel says. With that in mind, we will need to set him and his wife, Marjorie. Shinagel first came to Harvard in priorities and move on the fronts that And there are other benefits.