Annual Giving
Rogers Society Luncheon Celebrates Impact of Planned Gifts
Medill Dean Charles Whitaker thanked members of group for support of University during 10th annual gathering
“You are the people with the real vision,” Charles Whitaker ’80, ’81 MS, dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, told members of the Henry and Emma Rogers Society who came together in May 2022 to celebrate the impact of planned giving at Northwestern University. The Rogers Society honors and recognizes the alumni, faculty, and friends who have included the University in their estate plans. The luncheon, which was held in Scott Hall on the Evanston campus, represented the 10th annual gathering of this forward-thinking group.
In his keynote presentation, Whitaker discussed his vision for Medill—which celebrated its centennial in February 2021—and reflected on the importance of planned gifts in carrying out his plans for the school. “Once I sat in the dean’s seat, I began to see up close the impact that planned gifts have on my ability to create structure, and fund programs and research that help my faculty, my students, and even my staff reach their full potential,” he said.
Whitaker also highlighted several recent planned gifts to Medill that have been particularly impactful, including bequests from two faculty members, Don Schultz and Ted Spiegel. Schultz, who passed away in 2020, included a bequest in his estate plan to establish an award that would recognize innovation in the teaching, theory, and practice of integrated marketing communications (IMC). His wife, Heidi Schultz ’78 MBA, worked with Medill to create the Don Schultz Award to honor her husband’s legacy as an accomplished marketing professor and founder of the IMC program at Medill. Ted Spiegel—who served on the Medill faculty for 25 years and was a pioneer in direct marketing education—and his wife, Audrey Spiegel ’55, left a tremendous bequest to Medill when they passed away in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Their gift created the Medill Spiegel Research Center, which focuses on evidence-based approaches to advertising and customer engagement.
Whitaker noted that Schultz and Spiegel, who he called “dear friends, mentors, and supporters,” continue to have an impact at Medill. “They live on not just in memory but through their transformational bequests.”
Lanny Martin ’68, ’73 JD (’02, ’08 P), chair of the Northwestern Board of Trustees and Rogers Society member, served as emcee at the luncheon. In 2021, Martin and his wife, Sharon, documented a generous bequest commitment to benefit Northwestern. Their decision was influenced, in part, by their belief in the University and its future. “The University has been here since 1851 and has been on a forward trajectory for the last 170-plus years,” Martin said, adding that Northwestern has continued to grow in statue and impact since he was a student.
Martin also highlighted the impact that planned gifts had on We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, which concluded in June 2021. During the Campaign, Northwestern received nearly $770 million in planned gifts from more than 1,800 donors. Planned gifts represented more than 23 percent of gifts raised from individual donors in the Campaign. The Rogers Society welcomed 922 new members during this period, bringing the total number to nearly 2,000. Members are representative of the alumni population, living in 49 states and 7 countries.
Whitaker concluded the luncheon by expressing his gratitude to members of the Rogers Society. “Your gifts not only maintain the quality of this very special institution, but they will help the deans of the future execute visions that will carry Northwestern to new heights,” he said, adding, “Thank you for all of your support.”
For more information about the Rogers Society and its benefits or to discuss making a planned gift to Northwestern, contact the Office of Gift Planning at 800-826-6709 or giftplanning@northwestern.edu.