Invest in Graduate Education at Morgan State University

The School of Graduate Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund supports graduate education at Morgan State University.  Student in all of our thirty plus masters programs and fourteen doctoral programs benefit from this scholarship support.  By giving to the endowment fund, you are contributing to a permanent fund invested for both growth and income.  Investment earnings provide funds to support graduate student scholarships, graduate student travel to conferences, recruitment of graduate students, graduate student participation in national educational organizations, as well as  support for other student-related activities.

Morgan's current and future graduate students need your support, now more than ever. Even though our tuition and fees remain competitive, the demand for financial assistance continues to escalate beyond our ability to fulfill the students' requests.  New doctoral programs and masters programs add to the funding pressures of the continuing expansion of our many high quality programs.  Enrollment growth has far exceeded the growth in student support funds.  As a result, many deserving students must find alternatives to traditional institutional support in order to fund their education here at Morgan.

There are several ways that that you can make a gift to the School of Graduate Studies:

By Credit Card
You may make a gift to the School of Graduate Studies through the Morgan State University Foundation, Inc. using your American Express, Discover, MasterCard or VISA card. All card transactions are in U.S. dollars.
Please be sure to select the Graduate School Endowment when offered the option for directing your gift to a particular fund.

By Check
If you would like to make your donation by check, please mail it to:

Morgan State University Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 64261
Baltimore, MD 21264-4261
Indicate on your check “Graduate School Endowment”

Ways to Give

Cash and Pledges                                                                        
Cash gifts and pledges are deductible for federal income tax purposes up to a limit of 50% of your adjusted gross income. Where cash gifts exceed this limit, you may carry over the excess for up to five additional years. Gifts or pledges made to the University’s unrestricted fund give Morgan the greatest flexibility to respond to shifting priorities and needs. The unrestricted fund helps provide scholarships, faculty and staff development, invest in new technology and equipment, and enhance the physical plant.

Stocks and Bonds
Some donors prefer the additional tax advantages of making their gift in the form of appreciated securities rather than cash. Please consult your financial advisor for details, but generally, you are entitled to a charitable income tax deduction for the full value of your gift, if the securities have been owned for more than 12 months. In addition, capital gains tax may be avoided, which would have been owed if the securities were sold. Gifts of securities are deductible for federal tax purposes up to a limit of 30% of your adjusted gross income.

Closely Held Stock
If you own stock in a closely held corporation, the stock can be used to make a gift to Morgan that will bring substantial tax benefits. A number of strategies can be used to structure the gift.

Gifts of Personal Property
In planning your estate, remember that valuable collections, works of art, and other forms of tangible personal property may be subject to estate taxes. By donating such items during your lifetime rather than after death, the taxable estate value is reduced, but your taxable income in the year the gift was donated is also reduced.
For a gift of tangible property, you are entitled to an income tax charitable deduction amounting to the property’s full, fair market value, provided the use of the object is directly related to tax-exempt functions at Morgan. If the property cannot be used directly, your tax deduction is the lesser of the property’s original cost or the fair market value. Appraisals are the responsibility of the donor.

Gifts of Real Estate
Almost any kind of real estate can make a valuable gift, including a primary residence, vacation home, farm, commercial real estate, or an undeveloped parcel of land. You can even contribute your residence now and still reside in it for life.
As with gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and personal property, no capital gains tax is due when appreciated real estate is donated; you are entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of the appreciated value of the real estate; and estate taxes are avoided on the appreciated asset. Appraisals are the responsibility of the donor.
The Morgan State University Foundation will accept real estate that is:

• Free of hazardous waste and environmental concerns
• Marketable
• Free of debt or liens
• Free of donor conditions

In all cases, please consult your financial advisor for guidance.
For more information on donating to the MSU Foundation, please contact:
The Office of Development
201 Truth Hall
443.885.3040

development@moac.morgan.edu
Remember, whatever form your gift takes, please specify that it is for the “Graduate School Endowment”

Why does my gift participation matter?
Gifts to the School off Graduate Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund serve several purposes.  Income from this fund supports scholarships, assistantships, graduate student organizations, professional growth activities for graduate students, and other School of Graduate Studies’ initiatives.  Your gift directly supports these activities.  Your gift matters financially, and your act of participation provides evidence to others that Morgan graduate programs have broad support from alumni and friends.

Why does the Graduate School need my money?
Graduate education at Morgan is heavily subsidized. Tuition and fees covers less than half the cost of a student's education. In most cases, graduate students who receive assistantships, fellowships and scholarships also receive an award that pays tuition.  The endowment income strengthens our ability to continue to offer assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships.  Your gift to the endowment also supports graduate student organizations, and it helps graduate students attend conferences to present their research. Funds to provide awards to graduate students and alumni who make significant contributions to their discipline through their theses, dissertations and other publications, for example, must be raised from private sources.

I cannot afford a large gift; will my small gift really make a difference to the Graduate School?
Your gift to the School of Graduate Studies, no matter the size, is added to the principle amount in the School of Graduate Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund.  Every gift increases the size of the endowment’s principle; consequently, the income generated by the principle grows larger each year.  Remember, It is the endowment’s income that is used to support graduate education.  The endowment’s principle helps to insure that as long as Morgan State University is in existence, the School of Graduate Studies will be able to help support current as well as the next generation of graduate students.
Even a small donation makes a difference in its own right and helps to inspire other to give to the School of Graduate Studies.  The simple fact of your participation, the very act of giving to the endowment, is as important as the number of dollars raised.  Participation is itself a standard by which support for the Graduate School as a whole is measured.  As more friends and alumni participate, we become stronger.

I'm not sure how much I can afford to give. Can you recommend resources?
Here is a giving calculator that will illustrate the tax advantage you receive for the amount you select.  Remember, most charitable gifts are tax deductable.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=40

Thank you for contributing to the Morgan State University School of Graduate Studies Endowment.  The growth in the Graduate School over the past several years has been remarkable, and we anticipate that the trend will continue for years to come.  Your regular support through contributions to the endowment fund means that we can continue to improve the educational experience of our students as they progress toward advanced degrees.

The Graduate School benefits from every type of gift.  We invite you to become a member of this growing network of alumni and friends.  Our students develop professional and academic relationships that will last a lifetime, and your gift ensures that present and future graduates will continue to benefit by forming these connections.  Your contribution represents but one way that you too can remain connected to the Graduate School.

At Morgan State University, graduate students have always been a vital part of the University, a strong graduate program helps to attract and strengthen faculty, while graduate students provide models of academic success for Morgan’s undergraduates.

As our endowment grows and opportunities improve for funding of our primary goals, we continue to be thankful for the enduring support of our alumni and friends.  Again, thank you for your willingness to give.