Elizabeth Hartman ’80, P’10: The Art of Giving
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Elizabeth Hartman ’80, P’10 is working to ensure students continue to have access to life-changing educational experiences like the ones she had at Colgate. She recently established a charitable gift annuity (CGA) that will pay her fixed, secure income when she anticipates needing it and will eventually support the fine and performing arts on campus.
“I will include the University in my estate planning,” she explained, “but the annuity is a sensible way of helping Colgate right now.” While the CGA is Hartman’s most recently established gift, it is far from her first. “Giving to Colgate has been a part of my life since my first gift of $15 in 1980,” she said. “The University has always been the number-one recipient of my charitable donations. Colgate provided me with the tools for success in life. I give back so that others can be armed to go out and thrive in our beautifully complex world.”
As a philosophy major, Hartman fondly remembers professors Andy Rembert, Ann Ashbaugh, and Marilyn Thie as well as evenings of deep philosophical arguments over 25-cent beers at the student union. When she wasn’t seeking out intellectual debate, Hartman sought ways to express herself through dance. “Unfortunately, there were few opportunities to pursue this interest on campus,” she said.
Then, in 1979, Hartman saw a poster for a dance study group that would travel to India. “I just had this sense that if I didn’t go to India then, I probably never would,” she remembered. So off she went.
“There was barely a single cultural similarity between that very traditional, predominantly Hindu region and my life in America,” Hartman recalled. She credits the trip with teaching her to thrive outside her comfort zone through cultural experiences as well as performing on stage throughout southern India with professional Indian musicians and dancers. “Professor William Skelton and his wife Mary Lou, who led the trip, were major influences and mentors in my life,” Hartman said. “That trip was the most transformative experience of my life. I want to make sure others can experience the arts through Colgate.”
The discussion herein is general in nature and may not apply to all individuals. Prospective donors are urged to consult their personal tax and financial advisors concerning the specific consequences of making gifts to Colgate. We would be pleased to discuss, in confidence, ways in which you may support Colgate. These measures may also have an impact on your estate planning.
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