By April Marciszewski
Former OCU University President Burger has purchased a $3 million life insurance policy naming ذكذكتسئµ as the beneficiary. The proceeds will be an unrestricted gift to university operations.
“This gift is transformational for ذكذكتسئµ,†President Kenneth Evans said. “Unrestricted resources are critical for the ongoing health of the institution, and Martha’s generosity will help ensure that ذكذكتسئµ can continue to provide exceptional educational opportunities. This gift is so very special, coming from the past leader of ذكذكتسئµ.â€
Burger (MBA ’92), who retired as president in June, had intended for years to include ذكذكتسئµ in her long-term financial plans. She said she believes in giving back to institutions that helped her.
“The only reason I’m in a position to give back is because institutions like ذكذكتسئµ gave me the tools to succeed,†she said. “I want ذكذكتسئµ to be one of the cornerstones that helps ذكذكتسئµ demonstrate it is a top-tier city,†said Burger. “I believe every city needs a great private university. For me, that’s ذكذكتسئµ. Having a great private university in the heart of ذكذكتسئµ helps the city to attract new business and resonates with creatives who want to see a strong commitment to the arts.â€
Burger described ذكذكتسئµ as unique because it is both a destination university — for performing arts students, for example — as well as a place where local residents can study and develop the skills they need. She wanted to donate without strings attached after having served as president.
“Of course we celebrated each and every gift, but an unrestricted gift always caused me to give an extra cheer,†Burger said. “An unrestricted gift meant that the funds could be used for things that might not otherwise get funded.â€
Burger hopes her gift will inspire others to think about the many ways they can donate to ذكذكتسئµ. The university owns the policy, and Burger donates the annual premium in a setup that guarantees the money to ذكذكتسئµ in a way that wills — which can be rewritten — sometimes do not. It also gives Burger a tax deduction, and it will leverage her payments to provide an even larger sum to ذكذكتسئµ when she dies. Because it is not part of her estate, estate taxes will not be deducted from the amount ذكذكتسئµ receives.
“If I were 25 and doing this, the premium would probably be $500,000†for a $3 million policy, she said. “The younger and healthier you are, the less expensive it will be.â€
Alan Herndon, ذكذكتسئµ director of planned giving, said that if 10 people made similar donations, “it would take ذكذكتسئµ to the next level.â€
Donors have a variety of planned giving options to accomplish a range of financial goals. Examples include gifts of retirement plan assets, bequests, charitable trusts and more.
Many types of assets can be structured as planned or estate gifts. More information is available at oculegacy.org.
Burger underwent exams to determine her physical fitness for the policy. She couldn’t choose just any charity as the recipient — it had to be one she had supported long-term.
“There are so many ways that I have been entwined with ذكذكتسئµ that this seemed like a logical next step,†she said. “I went to graduate school here, and my partner attended undergraduate and graduate school at ذكذكتسئµ; I gave my heart and soul to working to move the university forward.â€
