Advancement Team

Transformational Giving

An investment of $25,000, or more, has a transformational effect on the university. If you want to provide significant support to Cumberland through a major gift, and are unsure how to make the most impact we can share funding priorities and can work with you to craft a gift opportunity that will help the university and be something you can be proud to support. We can also provide information on various gift vehicles you may wish to consider.

 

Endowments

Gifts to establish endowments provide a meaningful way to make a profound and lasting impact and offer you the assurance that your investment will benefit the university for years to come.

These donations are invested, with a portion of the annual income used to address immediate needs of the university, while the remaining funds are reinvested to ensure indefinite funding toward the dedicated project, scholarship, program,or professorship. Your gift— and all future income from it— becomes a permanent source of funding and ensures the scholarship will last forever. An endowment can also honor someone in perpetuity by naming them and or supporting a program or area they feel passionate about. Endowed gifts may also qualify you for a federal income tax charitable deduction on your taxes.

Scholarship Dinner

Endowed Scholarships

Scholarships help students seeking higher education, who might otherwise be unable to attain it. Thanks to the support and generosity of many charitable donors, the Advancement Office is able to provide over 200 scholarship awards annually.

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Endowed Professorships

Endowed gifts in this area strengthen Cumberland’s foundation of academic and research excellence by attracting and retaining outstanding faculty. From distinguished professorships to eminent scholars and deanships, gifts to this area fund all or a portion of a faculty member’s salary, benefits or other professional enhancement expenses related to his/her position.

 

TOM P THOMPSON

The General Tom P. Thompson, Jr. Professorship was funded by generous donors and was created to support a deserving Cumberland faculty member in the field of criminal justice. The professorship was presented to Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Suzann Lafferty during the annual Convocation Ceremony in 2021.

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2022 Professorship

Cumberland University awarded the Dr. Michael J. Spalding Professorship in Nursing to its inaugural recipient assistant professor of nursing Dr. Beth Chatham at the university’s 181st Convocation in 2022.

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The Endowment Process

  • Endowed funds are established with a minimum gift of $25,000 that is payable incrementally over a five-year period or with retirement, insurance and investment assets or gifts from your estate.
  • Advancement staff will work with you to establish guidelines which specify the purpose of your endowment. You may establish your endowment in your name or in honor or memory of someone important to you.
  • Once your endowment is established, it provides a perpetual source of income, a portion of which is available for spending. You will also receive an annual report on the performance of the fund.