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The KU Info booth on Jayhawk Boulevard, the class of 1950's gift to the University, was rebuilt and rededicated in 2014.
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Class gifts strengthen connection with KU, alumna says
SAMANTHA SEXTON @Sambiscuit
Class gifts have become a tradition at the University, from funding new engineering buildings to contributing toward future students' education with scholarships.
The gifts date as far back as 1873, with the the gift of an engraving depicting "The Temple of Karnak," an ancient Egyptian house of worship. Even the trees in Marvin Grove weren't an accident, but a gift given by the class of 1877.
Because gifts can be as personal as the students who give them, some are in the form of a sculpture, scholarship or University renovations. A comprehensive list of class gifts and donations given since 1873 are on the KU Endowment Association's website.
"It's about being connected with something that's been an imperative and influential marker in our lives," said Hannah Bolton, a 2013 University alumna and a representative for the KU Endowment Association.
Bolton came to the University from St. Libory, Neb., in 2009 and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor's in Business Management. When she heard that the KU School of Business had plans to construct a new building, she immediately knew she wanted to donate to help out.
"When the business school announced their plans for their new building, I thought
it was really important for me to make a donation because of everything that the school had given me," Bolton said.
Bolton decided to give $20.13 to the Business school.Her donation went toward the building project along with the senior class gift, which was the kick-off for the landscaping project on Jayhawk Boulevard in 2013.
"The fact that KU let's the students decide where exactly their donations are going really makes you feel a part of the process," Bolton said. "You're not a dollar amount, you're involved."
The KU Endowment Association is a non-profit organization and said 100 percent of students' donations will go to the specific allotments.
"We're a family." Bolton said. "I went to graduate school at Vanderbilt but I made my way back to KU with KU Endowment because of the connection that I have here. I know the campus and I'm a part of it."
Donations vary and do not always go toward campus beautification. Some donations to the annual fund can be made to honor a professor, administrator, friend or parent "who has had a positive effect on their college career," according to the KU Endowment Association's website.
Some students choose to bolster scholarships that they received while attending to help future students get a leg up on their next chapter in life. Others choose to donate in general to a specific department for refurbishing labs or equipment.
"I chose to donate because of how important KU had been to my life," Bolton said. "I don't want to sound sappy, but those years are really important and formative. I felt like I had to give to the business school as the building was so vital to the success of the department and I knew it needed to happen."
While seniors are allowed to donate to their chosen department, the official senior gift is what is considered a "major priority" on campus. For example, in both 2013 and 2014, the official senior gift was a monetary donation to the Jayhawk Blvd. beautification project.
"What the seniors try to do is find an idea for a gift that really resonates with the spirit of that particular year," said Michelle Compton, an associate director within the Union Programs.
Compton helps advise the seniors on what gifts they can afford and helps the process run more smoothly for the class.
"The students want to be able to come back in five or 20 years and say 'look what we did' and I think that's really important for continuing the sense of involvement and community here at KU," she said.
Several gifts are given to honor the anniversaries of events when KU students did something of historic or unusual merit. For example, the class of 2015 gift was a plaque that
commemorates the 1965 sit-in at Strong Hall, which focused on bringing awareness to discrimination.
"It's all about leaving their mark on campus," Compton said. "And sometimes that may take the form of honoring those that came before them."
vide satisfaction to both the giver and to those who are able to experience the gift into the future," Schulte said. "The recent gift will provide benefits into the future and will be shared by many."
give back, and this is an avenue to do so," Bolton said. "Whatever made a difference to you in your academic career can make a difference to someone else later on down the road. It's just a chance to say thank you and give back."
The Ritchie's gift allowed for 73 films to be available on the KU Libraries website, which Schulte said she hopes will enrich the education of students working on a variety of majors and degrees.
Alumni Lisa and Scott Ritchie, from the graduating classes of 1978 and 1980 respectively, helped digitize historic film from the University Archive, Becky Schulte, the University archivist, said.
Honoring those before or helping paving the way for those to come, class gifts act as a tether to the past and to the future.
"My mindset was: 'This is your final year, you need to
"Gifts to the University pro
Edited by Maddie Farber
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