[CAUT] Steinway school info

[Fred Sturm]

Hi Chris,
	You might be surprised about raising money. A case in point from UNM:  
a guy who had been a violin student at UNM but changed to math. Became  
a math teacher at a university (some other state), but kept up his  
interest in music, performing as section violinist in regional  
orchestras and doing chamber music. He got interested in collecting  
instruments, and ended up with a "matching" string quartet. In his  
80s, he decided to donate them, and approached our music department,  
because of fond feelings about his violin prof. We had been in the  
process of dedicating our rehearsal hall to the memory of this prof,  
so maybe he heard about that, and it got him thinking.
	So for the last ten years, we have had a graduate string quartet  
(they get to use the instruments, and get a scholarship), underwritten  
by him, and he is (now in his 90s) finishing paperwork to endow  
$500,000 in scholarships for string students. All from a very  
unassuming guy who doesn't have children and wants to do something  
meaningful with what is probably the accumulation of TIAA/CREF  
retirement account money.
	The point being that you don't have to have a BIll Gates among your  
alums to raise substantial sums of money. But it does take some effort  
and communication.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



On May 2, 2008, at 1:55 PM, Christopher Purdy wrote:

> Thanks to everyone that has responded to my questions, on list and  
> off.  I have received a lot of great insight and ideas.   
> Realistically, I don't see how this is ever going to happen here.   
> We would basically have to buy some 100 new Steinways and I just  
> don't see us raising 3-4 million dollars.  However, I have really  
> been enlightened with ideas of using this to get the ball rolling  
> and start discussion.  Plus, the new director knows the program and  
> is very interested in pursuing it.  If he's got the experience and  
> the energy, I'd love to see where it takes us.
>
> Thanks again to everyone.  I've saved all the responses and I will  
> really be able to use the info you provided.
>
> Chris