Donor Spotlight: Nerice Kaufman ’70
Nerice Kaufman ’70 has had an eclectic career path since graduating from Pitzer and credits the College with preparing her for the various roles she’s held. She’s created the African American Endowed Scholarship as a way to pay back the College for all the opportunities her education provided her.
Alumna Nerice Kaufman ’70, now semi-retired, has enjoyed a number of careers throughout her lifetime—from personal improvement instructor to ordained minister to hospice worker to therapist—and she credits Pitzer College for why and how this happened.
“I’ve had several careers, and I think that stage was set by my eclectic classes at Pitzer,” she says. “Pitzer was one of the few colleges that appreciated the totality of who I was. It was a true educational fit for me and prepared me to do all that I’m doing.”
Having attended private Catholic schools growing up, Nerice had an “extremely eye opening” experience at Pitzer. “I was introduced to thinking that was completely out of my purview, introduced to whole new ways of being. It was wonderful.”
To acknowledge Pitzer’s influence on her life and also provide financial aid resources for future students, Nerice established the African American Endowed Scholarship through a planned gift. She directed the scholarship in this manner in appreciation of the special relationships she had with African American women who helped raise her and who were part of her childhood church community.
“Making a legacy gift to create the African American Scholarship felt like a meaningful way to ensure that I pay back the love and care I received,” Nerice says.
Nerice’s confidence in Pitzer’s fiduciary ethics along with how much she values her Pitzer education made it easy to decide where to invest her resources. “You have to be very conscientious about who’s going to take your gift and what they’re going to do with it. You know if you’re giving your gift to Pitzer, it’s going to be monitored and used appropriately,” she says.
Knowing that her planned gift will impact future generations of students brings Nerice great joy, and she encourages others to follow her lead.
“For people like me—neither wealthy nor wanting—this kind of giving makes me feel like I can make a significant gift that will make a difference. I think more people should consider legacy gifts. They can mean a tremendous amount to an institution.”
Learn how you can follow in Nerice’s footsteps and make a difference for Pitzer students. Contact Lily Shin at plannedgiving@pitzer.edu or 909.621.8432 today.