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Fostering Resilience in Our Students

Miriam Chaiken

Miriam Chaiken

During times of great crisis, the NMSU Aggie family has consistently stepped up to ensure that future Aggie alumni succeed.

Current students face challenges related to a global pandemic, economic upheaval and renewed movement for racial justice and police reform, and their resilience during their college years will likely have a lasting impact on their success.

Two 1888 Society members, Miriam Chaiken and Blanca Campa, are examples of how Aggie family members are making sure students have what they need in order to achieve their goals.

Miriam, the former William Conroy Honors College dean who retired in July, increased her donations to Aggie Cupboard to help provide food for students, and to the Honors College Dean’s Fund for Excellence, which provides scholarships for students in need of funds for textbooks, computer support and research.

“As an educator, I know that some students are able to weather challenges easier than others, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was clear that the impact on our students was highly varied,” Miriam says. “This is a time for all of us to help each other in any way we can.”

Blanca Campa

Blanca Campa

Blanca earned her Ph.D. from NMSU in 2008 and is a professor at El Paso Community College. Her life experiences, including immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico as a child, have motivated her to write a book about fostering resilience.

“Resilient people sense a larger purpose to their lives, looking beyond their immediate challenges and goals and envisioning a better world for themselves and others,” Blanca says.

She recently initiated a Resilience Scholarship to help community college students transfer to NMSU, and has donated the proceeds from her NMSU Teaching Academy presentations. She is working on a second book so that she can continue to donate to the NMSU Foundation in support of students.

A Gift for Tomorrow

You too can help promote resilience for the next generation of NMSU students through a future gift to the NMSU Foundation. It’s a simple way to ensure tomorrow’s leaders and innovators have access to the education and resources they need to be successful. Contact Steven Covington at (575) 646-3190 or (800) 342-6678 or plannedgiving@nmsufoundation.org to learn about your giving options.

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to the New Mexico State University Foundation a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to the New Mexico State University Foundation, a nonprofit corporation currently located at P.O. Box 3590, Las Cruces, NM 88003, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to the NMSU Foundation or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support NMSU's mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to the NMSU Foundation as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to the NMSU Foundation as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and the NMSU Foundation where you agree to make a gift to the NMSU Foundation and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.

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