Alumni advance K-State's strategic goals with investment in faculty

As loyal K-State graduates, Damon and Carrie Hininger are enthusiastic about the university's 2025 strategic plan and the $1 billion Innovation and Inspiration Campaign to advance those goals.

While serving on the campaign steering committee for the College of Arts and Sciences, the couple decided to make a difference at K-State with gifts in their wills.

"It felt like the right time to finalize our estate gifts, with the goals of the president and the push to grow the university's endowment," Damon said. "Our time at K-State had a profound influence on both of us."

Estate gifts are among the most popular ways alumni and friends invest in K-State. That popularity is based on simplicity, flexibility, and the opportunity to make a difference without making a sacrifice. Donors retain lifetime control of their assets, creating a plan now and funding it later.

The couple created the Hininger Professorship in the College of Arts and Sciences to help recruit and retain top faculty. The Hiningers now reside in the Nashville, Tennessee area, where Damon works as CEO of Corrections Corporation of America. They fondly recall their days at K-State, where Damon earned a degree in sociology in 1991 and Carrie earned a degree in accounting in 1994.

"I was always struck by how engaged the professors were in your success inside and outside the classroom, even after you graduated and started your career," Damon said. "We saw this as a way to build on and expand the people of K-State, which is critical for the future. We hope to continue to build on the success of K-State so far. In my mind, the biggest asset on campus is the professors."

To learn more about including a gift for K-State in your will or trust, please email giftoptions@ksufoundation.org or call 785-775-2000.