Sharing the love across K-State

Deb Shuck '84 leaves no doubt about her love for Kansas State University. Having logged countless study hours in Hale Library's stacks, graduating in accounting from the College of Business Administration and cheering for the Cats over many seasons, Deb's K-State experience spans decades and the campus she loves. Deb and her husband, George (a Wayne State Wildcat), began investing in K-State programs about eight years after Deb's graduation. They started small, and where they felt their gifts would have the most impact.

"Finding the right place where you can be impactful ... is the best thing," Deb says. "It's been fun to see the gifts get put to use — especially when you get a letter from a student. It means a lot."

Deb began giving back to K-State first to the College of Business through what was then the Telefund. As a senior, Deb volunteered as a caller with the Telefund campaign on behalf of Beta Alpha Psi, a nonprofit honorary and service organization for accounting, finance and information systems students. Deb then added the Ahearn Fund due to her love of sports. After hearing Coach Snyder talk about why he and his family included the libraries in their philanthropic giving, she started contributing to the Friends of the Library. Following the recent library fire, Deb doubled down on her regular annual gift to help restore this invaluable campus resource.

The Shucks have established two scholarships. In 2010, they first established an accounting scholarship for College of Business students from Kansas. In 2018, Deb and George — as part of their estate planning — established an additional scholarship fund for students enrolled and participating in a varsity sport at K-State.

To round out the rest of Deb and George's estate planning, they decided to continue giving to their current areas of focus with the creation of the Shuck Library Excellence Fund and the Shuck College of Business Administration Excellence Fund. The CBA Excellence Fund will give the dean opportunity to address needs not covered in the budget, like travel funds or replacement equipment.

Deb's employer, IBM, optimizes her gift by matching up to $5,000 in contributions per university per year. The impact of Deb and George's giving to K-State scholarships is multiplied by IBM's corporate match program — something any K-Stater can do if their company allows. (Search whether your company has a corporate match program by visiting us online.)

"I appreciate that [K-State Athletics] is bringing attention to this great school both academically and athletically. They do such a nice job ensuring the student athletes get a great education and a college degree," Deb says.

How did Deb and George Shuck give to K-State? They reviewed their assets and arranged their retirement resources to name the KSU Foundation as a beneficiary and created a powerful planned gift to boldly advance K-State now and for generations to come. With four of their five nieces and nephews now attending or having graduated from K-State, the Shucks' legacy continues to grow both philanthropically and as K-State family.

If you are interested in discovering where your gifts can be most impactful to K-State and naming the university in your will and estate plans, contact your Gift Planning team at 785-775-2000 or giftoptions@ksufoundation.org.