Donor Stories Archive 2017

September 2017

Dr. Vivian (Ivery) Jackson ’60 grew up on Chicago’s West Side attending public schools. She originally planned on going to community college and becoming a teacher. Her high school French teacher, Ms. Olive Mazurek—a 1929 graduate of Rosary College—encouraged her to focus her sights on a high-caliber college education. She went so far as to make an appointment for Vivian to meet with Sister Mary Fredericus, then president of Rosary. “I would not have attended Rosary without their encouragement and support,” says Vivian.

After graduating from Rosary with her BA in history, Vivian earned her MA in educational administration and a PhD in counselor education and enjoyed a long and fruitful career in educational administration.

Now retired, Vivian recently informed Dominican that she has included the university in her estate plan. She realized “that I might want to give a portion of my bequest now, while I’m able to see the impact of my giving,” she says. “Taking advantage of the IRA charitable rollover allowed me to begin an endowed scholarship in my lifetime.” The Vivian Ivery Jackson Endowed Scholarship will provide assistance for traditionally underrepresented minorities demonstrating academic promise and financial need. “Because I made the gift directly from my IRA, I was able to take my annual required minimum tax-free,” she says.

“The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve come to appreciate what an important, lifelong impact my years at Rosary have had on me—both personally and professionally,” she says. “I also just wanted to give back for all that I’d been given.”

Vivian encourages fellow alumnae/i to consider “their Rosary experience and the impact it had on so many aspects of their lives, the school’s long commitment to educational excellence and the liberal arts, and,” she emphasizes, “the obligation of all of us to give to those in need.”

April 2017

Lois Dittus ’59 has been deeply involved with Rosary College and Dominican University from her days as a student through her years as an alumna. Her experiences, along with those of her husband, fueled the couple’s decision to include Dominican in their estate plan. Dominican will receive a future gift of the remainder of the Dittuses’ TIAA-CREF retirement account.

Lois did not begin her college education at Rosary; she arrived as a transfer student in the middle of her sophomore year. As Lois recalls, “I had a good friend whose sister was a friend of Sr. Thomasine Cusack,” the longtime professor and chair of the economics department, “and she suggested I look at Rosary College.” When reflecting on her decision to attend Rosary, Lois notes that “Sr. Thomasine and [former dean of students] Sr. Fredericus were very persuasive!”

After graduating, she worked for a time in the admissions office and served on the alumni council. On the occasion of her 50th class reunion, Lois was a leader in raising funds to establish the Class of 1959 Endowed Scholarship. She and her husband Bob have been married for 57 years. They have two children and now live outside of Milwaukee in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

“Rosary College instilled in me intellectual curiosity and a great respect for women who were intellectual ‘giants,’ ” says Lois. Her sense of gratitude, coupled with Bob’s perspective as a retired administrator at another private liberal arts college, explains the value they place on “the great importance of access to education.”

They chose their retirement account as the vehicle for their gift because of the tax advantages. Family members have to pay income tax when inheriting most retirement funds, whereas nonprofits do not pay taxes. Retirement-plan designations are considered one of the “simple” ways to make a charitable gift.

“We want to help the university continue to attract quality students,” affirms Lois, “regardless of financial ability.”