Gifts in Action
The focus of San Diego State University’s endowment is to enable sustainable advancement in four key areas: support for students, faculty development, program innovation and our learning environment. Please take a moment to read the inspiring profiles below which detail the extraordinary investments three of our endowment donors, Ruth Warwick, Ann Baert De La Torre and the Filanc family made in SDSU’s academic excellence—they’re making a difference.
 |
 |
By establishing the George and Ruth Warwick Nursing Scholarship, the Warwicks created a legacy of enabling talented and financially deserving nursing students, like Jennifer Jorgensen, to receive a premier college education. Read Helping Those Who Help Others: Warwicks Support Nursing Scholarships |
 |
|
In recognition of the Filanc family’s long-standing partnership with SDSU and Jack and Jane Filanc’s $3 million gift to the program, the J R. Filanc Construction Engineering & Management Program launched core classes this fall. Read An Alignment of Vision, A Gift from the Heart |
 |
|
When Ann Baert De La Torre’s financial planner showed her how investing her assets could create an income stream for retirement and benefit charity, Ann became a member of The SDSU Legacy Society. Read Establish Your Family's Legacy: Join the SDSU Legacy Society |
Helping Those Who Help Others: Warwicks Support Nursing Scholarships
When Ruth Warwick left New Haven, Connecticut with a classmate from nursing school to drive across country, she knew it would be an adventure. Her destination? San Diego, California, where she hoped to begin her nursing career. Upon her arrival, Ruth was hired at Mercy Hospital as an operating room nurse.
Now, reflecting back on her daring move 55 years ago, Ruth realizes the trip required courage for a woman in her early twenties and of that era. But for Ruth, that move led her to future husband George Warwick, becoming the mother of two beautiful children, and ultimately, her family’s relationship with SDSU.
Thanks to the success of their local, family-owned real estate development business, Creaser & Warwick, Inc., Ruth established two sizable scholarship endowments at SDSU that bear her and her late husband’s name. One scholarship benefits students in SDSU’s real estate program while the other supports Ruth’s passion for nursing education.
According to Ruth, “SDSU’s nursing program has a wonderful reputation, and with that comes a demanding curriculum. Students today are often working to pay for their education or to support a family while they’re in school. It’s not easy for them. It’s exciting that our scholarship can help these promising students in attaining their educational dreams.”
For Jennifer Jorgensen, one of more than 20 recipients of the George and Ruth Warwick Nursing Scholarship thus far, the financial support is making a real difference. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse in a children’s hospital or pediatric clinic, because I get tremendous satisfaction out of building a relationship with someone in need. It’s my goal to help each child back to a state of health and happiness, and doing so requires organized and compassionate nursing care,” said Jennifer. “The Warwick’s generosity lessens my financial burden and allows me to work fewer hours outside of school. As a result, I can better focus on my studies.”
Catherine Todero, Ph.D., R.N., the School of Nursing’s new director, sees scholarships as a critical component of delivering quality graduates to healthcare organizations. “How many undergraduate students can say they have literally held someone’s life in their hands through their coursework? Our nursing curriculum is challenging, and our students must make the most of the time they have while they are here to learn. Scholarships allow our students to take full advantage of these opportunities,” said Dr. Todero.
Dr. Todero’s vision to enhance the already distinguished School of Nursing includes exploring alternative strategies for expanding the nursing program. “I’ve had some successes with distance learning and on-line education, and they seem to be areas of great potential for SDSU,” she said. “I’d also like to see growth in our graduate programs in order to produce an increasing number of nurse educators. I believe that with the support of corporations, alumni and friends like the Warwick family, we can achieve these goals.”
An Alignment of Vision, A Gift from the Heart
Jack Filanc built his family’s construction business from scratch 50 years ago. Much has changed since Escondido-based J. R. Filanc Construction Company was established. Jack’s eldest son, Pete, now serves as its CEO, and his younger son, Mark, is its executive VP and director of construction operations, while Jack is chairman of the board. The county’s demand for residential and industrial building continues to escalate. Consequently, so has the need for trained construction managers. Given Pete’s positive experience in working with “SDSU’s hands-on engineering grads,” he looked to the university for assistance. Now, more than five years later, SDSU, and the San Diego region, benefit greatly from the Filanc family’s partnership with SDSU.
In the late 1990’s, Pete dreamed of developing local talent, equipped with a unique combination of engineering education and business management orientation. He found an instant ally in Janusz Supernak, Ph.D., chair of SDSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who also believed that San Diego should have its own Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Program.
Pete spearheaded a fund-raising campaign while president of the San Diego Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC), securing more than $1 million to launch such a program at SDSU, the first of its kind in the state. Pete believes that those who would reap the dividend of SDSU’s CEM program would give back as he did. (He and his brother, Mark, as well as their father, Jack, have each endowed scholarships for prospective CEM students.) What Pete may not have envisioned is that in December 2005, his father, Jack, and mother, Jane, would donate $3 million to the program and, in recognition of their family’s relationship with SDSU, it would bear their name.
“We are privileged to make this donation to the university, knowing it will help fulfill the region’s need for qualified engineers with construction and project management skills,” Jack said.
Their gift not only supports a program that aligns with the Filanc family’s business interests, but it also comes from the heart. Last year, Jack and Jane’s daughter, Julia, an SDSU alumna, died at the age of 50 after a battle with cancer. The family’s contribution also honors her memory.
With the Filanc family’s generosity, the J. R. Filanc Construction Engineering & Management Program launches its core construction engineering curriculum this fall. The program offers an emphasis in the areas of theory and practice of construction engineering and the management of construction enterprises. Further, it will include the bi-annual J. R. Filanc Lecture series in Construction Engineering Ethics.
Ken Walsh, Ph.D., the AGC-Paul S. Roel Chair in Construction Engineering and Management, couldn’t be more appreciative of the Filanc family’s dedication to SDSU. “I’m thrilled that our students will be a part of a stand-out program that has a close relationship to the local construction industry,” he said. “Down the road, I think our program will be known as one of the richest collaborations between the business side and the engineering and technical sides of the construction industry, and Filanc family will have played a huge role in making it happen.”
Establish Your Family's Legacy: Join the SDSU Legacy Society
You don’t need a Rockefeller-sized fortune to make a difference in the world. You can support the causes you believe in by joining The Legacy Society at SDSU.
Creating a legacy fund is growing in popularity due to the simplicity, flexibility and personal approach to philanthropy it offers. It’s like having your own charitable foundation!
Establishing a legacy fund at SDSU is a straightforward process:
- o You make a gift of $100,000 or more to the university’s endowment. You may use cash, stocks, real estate or gifts from charitable trusts and bequests.
- o SDSU creates and manages a legacy fund in your name.
- o Annually, you direct distributions from the investment’s return. (Note: At least 35 percent of your distributions must support SDSU, while the remainder can support other charities designated by you.)
- o You have the option to name advisors/successors to your legacy fund thereby involving them in causes close to your heart.
One of the most rewarding aspects of a legacy fund is that you can enjoy the results of investing your “social capital” during your lifetime. Whether you have $100,000 or $1 million to invest, you will have an impact by creating a legacy of giving for you and your family.
Ann Baert De la Torre, a pediatric nurse originally from Belgium, owned two highly appreciated rental properties yet had no retirement security; since she worked mostly abroad, she had no pension. As such, Ann wanted to leverage her real estate holdings in order to provide her with some income for retirement.
“My financial planner knew I’d face heavy capital gains penalties if I sold these properties outright. What’s more, I needed this money to remain invested so that I could receive dividends. Placing my real estate into a charitable remainder trust was a ‘win-win’ proposition on many levels—for one, it provides annual income for the rest of my life. I also bypassed capital gains taxes and received an income tax deduction for the portion donated to charity. It all made great sense financially,” Ann said. “What’s more, when I pass away, my trust will benefit SDSU as well as other local and national charities. My husband and stepchildren are already involved—they’re developing their own charitable interests. I forsee them wanting to be a part of allocating our family legacy fund’s return,” said Ann. “Whether I tell them where I’d want the money to go, such as a scholarship for nursing students, or they decide, I can rest assured that our legacy fund will benefit those in need. The best part is that I didn’t need to invest a seven-figure sum to do some good.”
To learn more about establishing your own Legacy Fund at SDSU, contact Patricia Moulton, J.D., our director of planned giving, at (619) 594-7090 or pmoulton@mail.sdsu.edu