Couple Plans One of ISU’s Largest-Ever Gifts
(Image Courtesy of Indiana State University) From left-to-right: President Dan Bradley
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana State University has announced one of the largest individual gifts in school history. The planned $7.5 million contribution from 1985 graduate Todd Osburn and his wife Caroline Howe will go toward scholarships for middle-income students and career readiness initiatives.
Osburn is a founding partner of Greyrock Capital Group, which has offices in Chicago, Berkeley and Connecticut, and has served on the ISU Foundation board of directors. Osburn says the widest funding gap for college student exists among middle-income families who can’t afford to pay all expenses like higher-income families and don’t qualify for state or federal subsidies. "Middle-income families are really getting squeezed," Osburn said. "When we thought of the gift, we really wanted to target these students who have the biggest financial challenge."
The bulk of the gift, $5 million, will set up the The Caroline C. Howe and Todd A. Osburn Endowed Scholarship for students in the Scott College of Business. The remaining $2.5 million will establish the Caroline C. Howe and Todd A. Osburn Career Professional Readiness Fund.
Business School Dean Brien Smith says "the cost of education is a major hurdle for many students who are seeking the American dream – a college education. This gift will be a difference maker for many students who want an accredited business degree but can’t find a financial pathway. To say these scholarships will have a lasting legacy is an understatement."
Howe says the couple asked their nieces and nephews what they wished they had learned in college and the answers included job readiness skills like internships, interview preparedness, communication etiquette, general leadership and corporate social responsibility. They hope the gift will allow ISU graduates to be "ready to hit the ground running" after they leave the Terre Haute campus.
You can read more about the gift by clicking here.
