Thanks, Amy
In regards to the faculty member, the gift is be made to a particular college at SMU to "further support the efforts of the professor and his work pertaining to X and Y".
The school is moving towards more corporate-oriented endeavors so this is in line with those goals.
I'm unsure if he has control over the budget or not, but if necessary I can find out. It is not meant to support his salary in any way.
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Diane Kucera
Director, Records and Gift Administration
Southern Methodist University
dkucera@smu.edu------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2024 11:46 AM
From: Amy Phillips
Subject: Donor control?
Hey there, Diane -
Conflict of interest indeed. Can you clarify a bit more on what is meant by "for the faculty member"? I can see two potentially significant conflicts of interest from the SMU perspective which might merit input from your General Counsel. If the $25K is either going directly to support the faculty member's salary and/or going into a fund over which s/he has direct budget authority, then those points should - IMHO - be addressed asap.
Good luck and best regards,
Amy
Original Message:
Sent: 8/19/2024 12:32:00 PM
From: Diane Kucera
Subject: Donor control?
Hello!
We have a faculty member who also serves as the CTO of a local corporation. This corporation has sent a $25,000 donation to support the college's work, specifically for the faculty member who is the CTO.
Along with the donation, we received a Conflict of Interest Disclosure.
Is this disclosure adequate for us to consider the donation a gift without donor control.
Thank You in advance!
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Diane Kucera
Director, Records and Gift Administration
Southern Methodist University
dkucera@smu.edu
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