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"Our School of Law is one of the most important assets of Oklahoma City University. We are immensely proud of it. It is unique. It is a key component in fulfilling the university’s mission of creating servant leaders for the future. We are committed to its continued development. Its programs connect to issues that are critically important to our city, state and nation. This is the time to ensure that our School of Law has the resources necessary to fulfill its potential.”
Tom J. McDaniel,
President
Oklahoma City University
GIVING |
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Alumni and friends of OCU School of Law understand that the law school is a private institution and as such, it must rely heavily on private financial support. Some alumni and friends want to assure that others receive as fine a legal education as they received; others wish to be recognized as contributors. Some wish to support the training of ethical lawyers with superior skill, who will have a direct impact on the legal system; others wish to acknowledge the difference the law school has made in their lives. Alumni and friends give to OCU LAW for a variety of reasons.
The value of each graduate's degree is directly tied to the strength of
the law school. Gifts to the School of Law are the most effective possible
vote of confidence in the school, and they safeguard one's own investment
in a legal education at OCU LAW. Giving helps assure the continued good
health and vitality of the school and enhances the reputation of your degree.
Gifts take many forms and are for many purposes. Our development staff will
work with you to determine the best possible asset and method for you to
make your gift. Gifts may be made in:
Annual
Fund (Law School Special Projects Fund)
The unrestricted gifts provided by alumni and friends through the Annual
Fund have a significant impact on the progress and competitiveness of our
law school. Gifts support such programs as:
These are just a few examples, but as you can see, the OCU LAW experience would be relatively hollow without this support. Simply put, the Annual Fund provides the resources that create excellence at OCU LAW.
Honor
Roll of Donors
Supporters of OCU LAW are recognized each year online, in OCU LAW magazine
and the Oklahoma Bar Journal. Donors who provide at least $1000 annually
in support of any program at the School of Law are recognized as Dean’s
Circle members. Dean’s Circle members have taken a leadership role
in supporting the vision of the School.
Recent graduates (10 or fewer years from graduation) can join the Deans’
Circle as Dean’s Circle Associates by giving $100 for every year since
graduation (e.g., three years out of school equates to a $300 donation).
Donor Recognition Levels
Dean’s Circle Gold $5000 and above |
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Dean’s
Circle Silver $2500 to $4999 |
Dean’s
Circle $1000 to $2499 |
Faculty
Club $500 to $999 |
Partner $250 to $499 |
Associate $100 to $249 |
Supporter Under $100 |
Click here to see the 2003-2004 Honor Roll of Donors.
Donor Bill of Rights
“Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It
is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life.
To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general
public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence
in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support,
we declare that all donors have these rights.”
Click here for the Donor Bill of Rights.
Establishing an Endowed Scholarship at Oklahoma City University School of Law
Oklahoma City University School of Law is focusing its first comprehensive capital campaign on significantly increasing the size of its scholarship endowment in order to reduce the effective cost of attending OCU LAW, keep our graduates’ loan burdens within more manageable bounds, and be more competitive in attracting the most academically talented students. Standards and guidelines for creating named endowments have been issued by the university’s Board of Trustees. One of the purposes of these rules and guidelines is to ensure the amount used to create an endowment will generate sufficient income to accomplish the intended purpose.
All gifts given for the purpose of establishing an endowed scholarship must be formally accepted by the Board of Trustees. Because the university recognizes such sums must often be accumulated over a period of years, the university generally cooperates with donors who wish to spread the payments toward an endowment over a period of up to five years. However, an endowment fund is not activated until the minimum level has been reached.
When creating an endowed scholarship, the benefactor has the opportunity to establish the selection criteria for awarding the scholarship subject to approval by the university’s Board of Trustees. Criteria may include academic merit, demonstrated financial need, geographic origin, or other factors identified by the donor(s). Generally, only the income produced by investing the principal (corpus) of the endowment may be spent for the intended purpose. In the case of a pure endowment – i.e., one created when the donor specifies that a contribution is to be used for an endowment – the principal may not be expended under circumstances not expressly set out in gift documents.
The university has an investment policy designed to preserve the real value and enhance the purchasing power of earnings to keep pace with inflation and evolving university needs. To accomplish this, the Board of Trustees has established a spending rate, which it reviews annually. Currently, the spending rate is at 5% of the average market value of the endowment for the trailing 5 quarters. Earnings realized beyond those necessary to fund the annual spending rate and costs of portfolio management are added to the principal of the endowment.
Current or deferred gifts for endowments will be outlined
in an Endowment Agreement, specifying the terms under which the gift is
made. The document will be drafted by the Office of Development & External
Relations for approval by the Director of Finance and Budget. The Endowment
Agreement will be executed by the donor, the Vice President for Institutional
Advancement, and the Dean of the School of Law.
The Endowment Agreement will include: the name of the endowment, name of
the donor(s), and the relationships of donor(s) to any honoree(s); the amount
of the initial gift, expected total gifts, and any restrictions on additions
to the fund; a description of the fund, how it may be used, and any restrictions
on the use of the fund; permission for release of information for donor
recognition, press or usage in university catalog; and, investment language
as to use of corpus including payout of earnings and reinvestment of earnings.
For additional information on establishing a scholarship, presenting a gift, or to learn more about opportunities for contributing to the continued growth and excellence at Oklahoma City University School of Law, please contact Marc Thompson, at (405) 208-5442 or mthompson@okcu.edu.