ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWS

Options for Planned Giving: Many Ways to Support the University

Planned giving to the university is a method of including charitable giving in a total financial plan. There are many effective vehicles— a bequest through a will or retirement account, a charitable gift annuity, or a charitable trust, just to name a few— that alumni and friends of Case use in support of the university. Moreover, many of these vehicles also promote personal financial goals:

• Saving for retirement
• Avoiding capital gains tax
• Providing for a grandchild's education

As with all financial decisions, a planned gift should be designed with care. The Office of Gift Planning at Case works with alumni to design and facilitate the planned gift that is most appropriate and beneficial.

For more information, contact the Office of Gift Planning at giftplan@case.edu or 216.368.4352 or visit www.cwru.edu/development/planned/index.html.

Alumni Task Force prepares final plans for new alumni organization

The Case Western Reserve University Alumni Task Force has continued making plans for a single, unified alumni organization and is on target to submit its final recommendations to the Board of Trustees this spring.

During the Board's retreat in February 2005, task force chair Harold McRae (ADL '65) reported on progress in defining the new organization's mission, vision, and philosophy; in identifying channels for alumni engagement; and in selecting a name: The Alumni Association of Case Western Reserve University.

"This has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences that I've ever had, and this includes my professional career," said Laura Nosek (NUR'61, NUR'68, GRS'86), the task force communicator. "The level of dedication and commitment has been terrific."

McRae, Nosek, and more than 30 alumni from around the globe have been meeting regularly by conference call since July 2004 to develop their proposals. Many Case alumni have indicated to the task force that they want to be active partners in a vibrant, relevant organization that contributes to the growth of the university and to their own professional and personal development. They also want to be involved in helping the university attract students with the potential to provide superior leadership in a wide range of professional fields. Most important, they want the world to know about the university and the quality education they received.

Task force committees have addressed such issues as governance, leadership, communication, affinity groups, and local/regional alumni outreach. Case's Office of Alumni Relations, Programs, and Events has facilitated the restructuring process.

The model that the task force proposes at the Board of Trustees' April meeting will be based largely on feedback from an Alumni Forum held in July 2004, interviews with the leadership of alumni associations from our peer institutions, more than 75 individual alumni interviews, and the research and recommendations of its members.

Nosek emphasized that President Edward M. Hundert, Provost John Anderson, and the Board of Trustees are solidly behind this effort. "They want it to be alumni-driven," she said. "The president values the alumni and the ideas they bring. He wants to draw from their expertise and go to them for counsel."

To learn more about the task force's progress,visit the Alumni Forum website at www.case.edu/alumni/forum or contact the Alumni Task Force at taskforce@case.edu.

ALUMNI WEEKEND AND HOMECOMING
October 14-16, 2005

Alumni Weekend at Case is an opportunity to remember and celebrate your college days. Whether making new friends or reconnecting with old ones, alumni will find something to enjoy by participating in this university tradition.

Alumni Weekend coincides with Homecoming to create an all-campus, all-alumni, and all-student event.

Reunion class celebrations will be held for all class years ending in either "0" or "5." For more information, visit www.case.edu/alumni/events/home.html. To volunteer to help plan your reunion, contact Jennifer Schuller at 800.866.6260 or jennifer.schuller@case.edu.

ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNUAL FUND

Please consider supporting the College of Arts and Sciences with a 2004-05 Annual Fund gift! Visit http://giving.case.edu or use the envelope inserted in this issue of art/sci. A contribution makes an immediate impact by supporting this year's activities, even as it helps establish a foundation for the College's future.

Mathur makes USA Today academic team

Sunjay Mathur, a junior majoring in religion, was named in February to USA Today's third All-USA College Academic Team. According to the sponsor, the All-USA program is "designed to find students who excel not only in scholarship but also in leadership roles on and off campus."

In an essay he submitted for the competition, Mathur described the "Journal Distribution Project" that he started with Case neurology professor Robert Friedland during his freshman year at Case. The project collects medical journals that doctors and researchers would otherwise discard and distributes them to health professionals in developing countries. The project has also earned Mathur the prestigious Morris K. Udall Scholarship, awarded to recognize activities that improve the environment.

Mathur, who is enrolled in the Pre-Professional Scholars Program in medicine, is currently spending his junior year at Oxford University.

Collier named Academy of Political and Social Science Fellow

Emilee Collier, a junior majoring in communication sciences and political science, has been selected as a Junior Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. She has also been awarded that organization's Undergraduate Research Award for her paper "Assessment of a Tripartite Conceptualization of Media Bias in Newspaper Coverage of the 2004 Presidential Election Campaign."

Collier faced competition from more than 40 applicants. As a Junior Fellow, she has been invited for an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to be installed as a Fellow and receive a cash award.

According to Mary Step, professor of communication sciences, Collier's paper began as a project in COSI 328, "Media Literacy and Effects," and was expanded during an independent study. The paper tests a conceptualization of media bias that includes measures of objectivity, balance, and contextual detail (historical and social background). Comparing articles from The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor, Collier found no difference in their campaign coverage with respect to balance. But in its reporting about both George W. Bush and John Kerry, the Monitor did score higher with respect to objectivity and contextual detail.