Donor Spotlight

Through a Planned Gift, Mary Elizabeth Kurz Bright ´71 Establishes a Legacy for the Future

In providing legal counsel to public universities across the United States for almost three decades, Mary Elizabeth Kurz Bright ´71 has developed an abiding understanding and appreciation of the importance of higher education. But that wasn't the motivation that led her to become a member of the Legacy Council by making a generous bequest to the School of Law in her recent estate planning. It was instead the desire to continue the legacy of generosity that had benefitted her and late husband, William H. Bright, III ´82.

"Having received a scholarship myself, I know the value of one for someone who couldn't otherwise attend law school. It's a nice way to help someone like my husband and I had been helped, a way to 'pay it forward,' " she said. "This scholarship in turn will go to somebody who needs financial assistance to make it possible to attend the School of Law."

Bright has served as General Counsel for North Carolina State University since 1996. Her prior positions include Vice Chancellor and General Counsel of the Texas A&M University System; General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs at Michigan State University; Legal Counsel at the University of Montana; and Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland, assigned principally to represent the University of Maryland and other state colleges and universities.

Planned gifts are an increasingly important source of support for the Making an Impact campaign, says Assistant Dean for Institutional Advancement Teresa LaMaster ´95. The Legacy Council, which recognizes donors who include the School of Law in their estate planning, has doubled in size during the past 18 months.

"There are significant tax benefits associated with including the law school in your estate," said LaMaster. "Moreover, it's a meaningful way of establishing a legacy and providing the law school with the resources it will need to thrive in the years to come."

In addition to bequests, other popular estate gifts include gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and donations of life insurance.

"For public universities, the margin for excellence that allows you to compete with the private sector always comes from charitable contributions," said Bright. "I've been a public lawyer all my life. I'm not a very wealthy person, but I know that every bit a school receives really makes a difference."