OSU announces largest scholarship gift to OKC campus, FFA

Monday, November 15, 2010

OSU alumna and donor Martha Burger, center, is flanked by OSU-OKC Acting President Dr. Jay Kinzer and student leaders on the OSU-OKC campus today following a $500,000 gift announcement from the Chesapeake executive that will benefit OSU-OKC students and OSU FFA leaders.

Oklahoma City resident Martha Burger, OSU alumna and senior vice president of human and corporate resources at Chesapeake Energy, recently pledged a transformational $500,000 for scholarships at Oklahoma State University. Half of the gift benefits OSU-Oklahoma City, while the other half benefits FFA leadership officers attending OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Once the gift is matched by the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match, its total impact is $1.25 million.

The OSU-OKC portion represents the largest scholarship gift made in the campus’ nearly 50-year history.

“Hopefully someone will shatter that record someday soon,” said Burger, a 1973 medical technology graduate. “OSU-OKC’s enrollment is growing and they are really doing some great things there, so I just felt like it was time.

“I live in Oklahoma City, so I thought recognizing OSU-OKC’s presence here in Oklahoma City would be a great way for me to support the university and the community in which I live. To me, that was an easy choice.”

The other $250,000 gift is for FFA leadership officers attending OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and represents the single largest scholarship gift to FFA within the state of Oklahoma. Burger was not involved in FFA, but has become a fan of the organization through Chesapeake, which is a big supporter and she regularly visits with FFA student officers and leadership.

“I make sure that periodically I sit down and spend an hour or two with the FFA officers,” Burger said. “I’m always impressed by their ability to interact with professionals and just how business-savvy they are. It has been a really, really great experience for me to get to know these student leaders and, after knowing them, I am confident of the positive contributions that they will make to our state and country in the future.”

Both gifts qualify for the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match, which will provide a one-and-a-half-times match from Boone Pickens’ estate resulting in a total gift of $1.25 million. Thus each of these funds will be worth $625,000 once fully endowed, producing $31,250 annually for scholarships.

OSU President Burns Hargis expressed the university’s appreciation for this boost to support for students at OSU-OKC and in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“We are extremely grateful to Martha Burger for her tremendous generosity and her decision to leave a lasting impact on OSU-OKC and our agriculture college,” Hargis said. “This gift will provide life-changing support for our students. Martha and many other loyal alumni and friends are making it possible to pursue our commitment to raise $500 million for scholarships and graduate fellowships during our Branding Success campaign.”

OSU-OKC Acting President Dr. Jay Kinzer noted the importance of Burger’s generosity to the campus.

“The far-reaching benefit of Ms. Burger’s gift is phenomenal. We will be able to award scholarships now and well into the future to the most deserving students on our campus. Receiving a scholarship is often a game-changer for students and will ultimately help so many reach their graduation goal.”

Dr. Robert E. Whitson is vice president, dean and director of the University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“Investing in these outstanding youth in Oklahoma is an investment in Oklahoma’s future with huge dividends,” Whitson says. “The students coming up through FFA are an amazing asset to OSU and we are extremely fortunate that Ms. Burger has chosen to assist in this way.”

OSU Foundation President and CEO Kirk Jewell said Burger’s generosity is especially impressive considering she did not attend OSU-OKC or participate in FFA.

“She is giving to help students who are associated with two organizations she greatly respects,” Jewell said. “And anytime we refer to a gift as ‘biggest ever,’ you know it’s a great thing for OSU.”

Endowed scholarships leave a lasting impact at Oklahoma State by balancing current spending of investment return with the reinvestment of return to ensure support of students into the future.

The Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match was initiated on Feb. 26 at the Branding Success campaign launch event where T. Boone Pickens pledged a $100 million matching gift opportunity for donations or pledges of at least $50,000 to scholarship endowments before Feb. 26, 2011. Planned gifts are also eligible for a match. For more information on the Pickens Legacy Scholarship Match, visit OSUgiving.com/PickensMatch.