Philanthropy 101

Thompson Endowment Swings Jazz Forward at ̽��Ƶ

Anna Tolette — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:04:41 +0000

Thompson Endowment Swings Jazz Forward at ̽��Ƶ Anna Tolette Thu, 03/20/2025 - 12:04

April Driver

Last fall, ̽��Ƶ’s College of Music added a vocal jazz degree option to the Thompson Jazz Studies Program. Alumni and longtime donors Jack (Hist’64; MA’70) and Jeannie Thompson (Zool’64) expanded their endowment to further enhance their impact and legacy with the jazz studies program.

In 2013, the Thompson Jazz Studies Endowment transformed the future of ̽��Ƶ’s jazz program. A little over a decade later, the program has gained national recognition, drawing world-renowned artists for workshops, enabling students to collaborate with musicians worldwide and enriching the community with outstanding performances year-round.

“Seeing student and programmatic growth through our giving has been a delight,” said Jack and Jeannie Thompson. “An example is the students and faculty who have traveled to Costa Rica and Cuba, experiencing jazz and learning new forms of international jazz.

“We recently added funds to support vocal jazz — it will be fun to see that much-needed area in the program expand. The inspiration to support has given us pleasure, and it’s great to see the jazz program develop within the college.”

Vocal jazz enriches jazz studies

According to Jocelyn Medina, instructor for vocal jazz at ̽��Ƶ, integrating vocal jazz enriches the entire jazz studies program.

Instrumentalists benefit from learning to play with singers, reinforcing their listening and accompaniment skills. They also learn to play songs in different keys and with greater dynamic range, developing a deeper understanding of the repertoire related to the lyrics and storytelling of the melodies and harmonies.

Many instrumentalists may also want to be vocalists. With the new program, jazz students can do both.

“Instrumentalists who sing can hone their skills by adding vocal jazz courses,” Medina added.

Jazz opens doors to the world

The Thompson Jazz Endowment has created incredible experiences for ̽��Ƶ’s jazz students and faculty — from traveling to the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey, California, to hosting world-renowned artists on campus.

Musicians inspire and learn from each other. These experiences go beyond the classroom to connect students with the global jazz community.

John Gunther, director of the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, explained the significance of these experiences: “We took 23 students and faculty to Cuba for an intensive week of study with master musicians. These trips help elevate the College of Music’s profile nationally and internationally,” he said.

The endowment helps offset student travel costs, making these international experiences more accessible. Students with financial needs can receive additional support, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate.

Expanding professional networks

The program fosters professional connections for students and faculty. Thompson Jazz Studies has grown as a respected hub for jazz education and innovation, attracting guest clinicians and artists to campus.

Faculty integrate the guest artists, who often work with big bands and jazz combos, into the student experience. They share insights on performance, musicianship and career development, offering students a deeper perspective of their craft. Students often perform alongside these seasoned professionals, helping expand their resumes and performance education aligned with the college’s universal musician approach to achieving its mission.

Endowments 101

At ̽��Ƶ, endowments provide crucial support for students, faculty, research and programs.

What is an endowment?

An endowment is a type of donation that offers ̽��Ƶ long-term support by investing the principal amount of the endowment and using a portion of the returns annually to fund specific programs, like scholarships, faculty positions or research.

What are the benefits?

Program support: Endowments provide permanent funding for specific programs, scholarships and positions, enhancing ̽��Ƶ’s ability to fulfill its mission and attract top talent.

Funding stability: They provide predictable and stable funding to sustain programs over the long term.

Donor legacy: Endowments allow donors to establish a lasting tribute and extend the value of their gift to support future generations.

Learn more about endowments

̽��Ƶ’s jazz program also provides students with hands-on experience in professional recording. Each year, students record in a professional studio in Denver. The Thompson Jazz Records label, supported by the endowment, allows students to navigate the entire production process — creation, copyright, publishing and contracts — helping them prepare for careers in the music industry.

̽��Ƶ’s jazz program now boasts one of the most robust infrastructures for engaging with external experts. This ongoing exchange of knowledge and talent elevates the program and expands professional networks, providing career opportunities and connections to the jazz world.

Hosting world-renowned artists

The Thompson Jazz Endowment has also provided ̽��Ƶ’s jazz students and faculty opportunities to work with acclaimed artists.

Maria Schneider, a multi-Grammy-winning composer and bandleader, will conduct workshops on her creative process and the music industry in April. She will also direct CU’s jazz ensembles in a performance of her music.

Last year, legendary bassist Dave Holland held a weeklong residency, offering masterclasses and collaborating with students. These opportunities are open to all students in the College of Music, expanding the jazz program’s reach.

“To regularly have artists of this stature visit not only jazz studies but the College of Music is hugely impactful,” Gunther said.

These residencies provide students with direct access to the most respected names in jazz. They foster mentorship, collaboration and hands-on learning — central to ̽��Ƶ’s jazz program.

Giving back to the campus and community

̽��Ƶ’s jazz program also prioritizes community engagement. Each December, the jazz ensembles participate in an annual performance of Duke Ellington’s jazz arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. On campus, students host pop-up concerts and an end-of-year outdoor performance that brings music to the broader university community.

Additionally, the jazz program is open to non-music majors. ̽��Ƶ has a non-major jazz ensemble where students from other majors can play jazz. The program also offers vocal jazz lessons to students from other disciplines, such as musical theater and classical voice, expanding access to jazz education.

Preserving the future of jazz studies at ̽��Ƶ

The Thompsons have made a lasting impact at ̽��Ƶ. They demonstrated their love of jazz and ̽��Ƶ through their generosity. By establishing an endowment, the Thompsons have given the College of Music the tools and confidence to grow the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, knowing that the resources are there to support initiatives in future years.

With the continued support of the Thompson endowment, ̽��Ƶ’s jazz studies program is becoming one of the leading jazz education institutions in the country, offering unparalleled opportunities for students to learn, perform and connect with the jazz community — locally and globally.

“The Thompsons’ generosity has been truly transformative for the jazz studies program,” said John Davis, dean of the College of Music. “Thanks to their support, students and faculty now have opportunities that were never possible before — whether international exchanges in Costa Rica and Cuba, collaborations with world-class musicians or hosting guest artists on campus.

“The Thompson Jazz Endowment fund has elevated our program to a new level, fostering professional connections, creative growth and unparalleled experiences for our students.”

Give to the Thompson Jazz Studies Program

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$1.9M bequest from CU sweethearts bolsters university’s art museum

Anna Tolette — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

$1.9M bequest from CU sweethearts bolsters university’s art museum Anna Tolette Wed, 02/05/2025 - 06:00

Jessica Winter , ̽��Ƶ Advancement Marketing and Communications

The University of Colorado Boulder Art Museum has received the largest philanthropic gift in its history: a $1.9 million investment from late alumni Donald and Karen Ringsby. The endowment, which will be allocated at the discretion of the museum’s director, reflects the couple’s love of art and acknowledges the museum’s significance to the campus community.

More than a museum

An installation view of the exhibition We CU: A Visual Celebration of Black Womanhood, Presence, and Connectedness at the University of Colorado Art Museum. Image by Wes Magyar, © The Museum for Black Girls and © CU Art Museum and University Libraries, University of Colorado Boulder.

Housed within the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the CU Art Museum offers a forum for faculty, students and the surrounding community to explore exhibitions, fuel their visual imagination, and engage in creative thought and campus collaborations. Having studied art and art history at CU, Donald (Don) and Karen Ringsby saw the value that the museum and these creative engagements have on campus and in a college education.

“The discretionary nature of this endowed gift acknowledges that the critical needs of a museum will change over time, and it offers flexibility to support those evolving initiatives,” said Hope Saska, acting director, chief curator and director of academic engagement for the CU Art Museum. “The Ringsbys were extraordinarily generous and forward-thinking in establishing this legacy gift for the museum.”

In addition to exhibition galleries, the CU Art Museum features a Collection Study Center where classes and researchers can directly study works of art in learning sessions facilitated by museum staff. Throughout the year, the museum's program of free exhibitions and events promote cultural expression, engaged learning and interdisciplinary scholarship.

“̽��Ƶ is fortunate to have an outstanding museum, which offers opportunities for innovative collaboration and creative education,” said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “The Ringsby family’s gift to the CU Art Museum is a strategic investment that enhances innovative, hands-on learning and strengthens our connection to the community.”

The museum received first-time accreditation in 2023, joining a prestigious group of 26 museums accredited in Colorado. It boasts a permanent collection, started in 1939, that has grown to include more than 13,500 artworks representing 10,000 years of human creativity. From Greek pottery to Roman glass and contemporary painting, photography and printmaking, the comprehensive collection enriches educational experiences for faculty, students and the broader community.

Legacies built through lives well-lived

Karen and Donald Ringsby

First as students and later as alumni, Don (A&S’62) and Karen (EnglLit’62) attended art shows on campus and spent time searching for art in Colorado and, eventually, all over the world. The son of Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby, Don went on to become the president of Ringsby Truck Lines, Aspen Airways and the Denver Rockets — which would later become the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. He passed away in 2020, and Karen, who later earned her master’s in English from the University of Denver, passed away in 2024. Her lustrous career included modeling, serving as president of the Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood board, and advocating with the Global Warming Mitigation Project and for Palestinian human rights.

“Their legacy is one of friendship, family, philanthropy, art and their mutual love of the outdoors,” said son Alex Ringsby, president and CEO of RINGSBY, INC., which owns Ringsby Realty Corporation in Denver. The couple’s two other sons, Gray and Eric Ringsby, live in Maui, Hawaii, and Rock River, Wyoming, respectively.

Don and Karen’s Buff pride extended from their student involvement with Greek life to being loyal football spectators — they had season tickets for 40 years. Among others, Don served on the board of the CU Foundation, and Karen was an active member of the art museum’s Collection Committee, responsible for shaping the museum’s art collection. The Ringsbys later donated to the museum’s “Sharkive” collection and contributed a painting by Colorado abstract artist Dale Chisman, which will be on view in the museum’s upcoming spring exhibition, Hello, Friend.

In addition to their involvement with CU, Don and Karen were patrons of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, supporters of the nonprofit for urban youth Colorado UpLift, and gave to Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood. Loving historic places and nature, they resided in Denver, Aspen and Savannah, Georgia.

“They were so proud of Boulder and CU — they really lived it and wore their pride on their shoulders for all to see,” said Alex Ringsby. “They prioritized philanthropy and championed the idea of improving the communities they lived in.”

A storybook love

College sweethearts, Don and Karen first met in their French 301 course at ̽��Ƶ. They were Buffs who shared a love for Boulder, with Don being a lifelong Coloradan and Karen growing up in South Dakota.

“They both adored each other and gave Boulder the credit for finding each other,” said Alex Ringsby.

After graduating, the two eloped in a secret ceremony at the Rock of Gibraltar, British Territory, in the Mediterranean Sea. Loved ones later referred to the couple’s nearly 60-year marriage as having weathered the storms of life, just like the location of their elopement.

“They lived a storybook life and shared a romance for the ages,” said Alex Ringsby. “My father said the first time he saw my mother on campus, he thought, ‘I am going to marry her someday’ .... and he did.”

Their love for family, passion for art and care for their communities resulted in a partnership that inspired others and will create change for years to come. Saska remarked that the couple “united their love for ̽��Ƶ and for art” in their endowment gift to the CU Art Museum and will support the museum’s mission to be a “vital part of the cultural community — on campus and off.”

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How philanthropy fuels success: Center for African & African American Studies empowers students, drives impact through donor support

Anna Tolette — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 20:56:40 +0000

How philanthropy fuels success: Center for African & African American Studies empowers students, drives impact through donor support Anna Tolette Mon, 02/03/2025 - 13:56

Shamika Klassen, 2023–24 Alice Cleora Reeves Endowed Dissertation Fellow

When Shamika Klassen (PhDInfoSci’24) graduated last year with her PhD in information science, she was the first Black graduate in the decade-long history of the department.

Her significant achievement is part of the growing community of the Center for African & African American Studies (CAAAS), where philanthropic dollars help fund fellowships for students like Klassen, as well as faculty research and community engagement.

On Feb. 1, the center kicked off Black History Month with a celebration of CAAAS Day — its third annual event since Gov. Jared Polis declared the day in 2023. CAAAS Day serves as a moment to honor the history and contributions of African and African American communities, while spotlighting the work of the center itself. The day is also an opportunity to recognize donors to the CAAAS and celebrate the university's continued philanthropic match.

Through music, dance, poetry, food and Africana cultural expressions, this year’s celebration continued the tradition of highlighting the vibrant student, faculty and community involvement that makes the center a vital force at ̽��Ƶ and beyond.

Philanthropic support fuels growth and opportunity

Donor support has been crucial to the success and expansion of the CAAAS since its founding. To support student success, donations help fund student fellowships, research awards and creative work awards.

In 2023–24, philanthropic support directly benefited students like Klassen, the recent information science graduate who was awarded the Alice Cleora Reeves Endowed Dissertation Fellowship.

“I am so grateful to the CAAAS and Dr. Reiland Rabaka for their encouragement and financial support in the final mile of my doctoral program,” said Klassen.

CAAAS Director Reiland Rabaka speaks with CAAAS graduate fellow Reya Roussel at the November 2024 CAAAS Graduate Fellows Conference

Philanthropy also supports faculty fellowships, research initiatives and community engagement programs that help further the center’s mission. In 2023–24, the CAAAS awarded faculty teaching and research awards to scholars in fields such as history, philosophy, ethnic studies and communications — each of whom contributes to a broader understanding of African and African American experiences.

Building a stronger future

Looking ahead, the CAAAS plans to continue expanding its programming and increase opportunities for both students and faculty. For every dollar of philanthropic support raised through June 30, 2026, Chancellor Justin Schwartz is continuing to match up to $1 million with university funding to help promote the center’s vision and mission.

These funds will help enhance research, community engagement and student services within the CAAAS, reinforcing the center’s role as a hub for community and academic excellence.

“To all who have supported the CAAAS, whether financially or otherwise, thank you for believing in our vision,” said Reiland Rabaka, founder and director of the CAAAS. “Your investment affirms our deep commitment to building community at ̽��Ƶ through research, creative work and cultural programming.”

A space for learning and connection

Attendees at the November 2024 CAAAS Graduate Fellows Conference

Founded in 2021, the CAAAS is dedicated to researching, promoting and preserving knowledge about the histories, cultures and arts of African, African American and African diasporan communities. Through research, visual and performing arts, and student services, the CAAAS helps foster a deep sense of community and belonging on the ̽��Ƶ campus.

“The CAAAS continues to expand as a focal point for campus and community life grounded in the experiences of Africans, African Americans and the African diaspora,” said Rabaka. "We provide culturally relevant student services, public programs, mentorship, leadership training, professional development and advocacy for social change.”

In addition to its academic and research focus, the center hosts annual events such as the Kwanzaa Celebration, Black Graduation and, of course, CAAAS Day. These events foster a strong sense of community while celebrating the culture, history and accomplishments of African, African American and African diasporan students, faculty and alumni at ̽��Ƶ.

Following this year’s CAAAS Day celebration, the entire campus community is invited to reflect on how far the center has come and how far it will go with continued philanthropic backing. For more information about the CAAAS and how to support its work, visit colorado.edu/center/caaas.

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2024–25 CAAAS graduate fellows with CAAAS Director Reiland Rabaka

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2024–25 CAAAS graduate fellows with CAAAS Director Reiland Rabaka

Philanthropy 101

Thompson Endowment Swings Jazz Forward at ̽����Ƶ

Vocal jazz enriches jazz studies

Jazz opens doors to the world

Expanding professional networks

What is an endowment?

What are the benefits?

Hosting world-renowned artists

Giving back to the campus and community

Preserving the future of jazz studies at ̽����Ƶ

Off

$1.9M bequest from CU sweethearts bolsters university’s art museum

More than a museum

Legacies built through lives well-lived

A storybook love

Off

How philanthropy fuels success: Center for African & African American Studies empowers students, drives impact through donor support

Philanthropic support fuels growth and opportunity

Building a stronger future

A space for learning and connection

Off

Thompson Endowment Swings Jazz Forward at ̽��Ƶ

Preserving the future of jazz studies at ̽��Ƶ