Inspired by NAU’s commitment to academic excellence and the promotion of critical thinking, Laura and Gary Maurer made an unrestricted transformational gift to Northern Arizona University. Split between the Greatest Need – President’s Fund and The Honors College Fund, the gift from the Maurers is a testament to their commitment to immediate support for priority initiatives, transforming the Honors College and creating new opportunities for students.
“Motivated by the late Cornell University professor Carl Sagan, Gary and I have committed our minds, energy, and financial means to the ability of institutions to foster and develop the scarce commodity of critical thinking,” said Dr. Laura Maurer.
“NAU is among the top few educational institutions to keep its eye on the ultimate purpose of fostering the ability to think critically, which is the inspiration and impetus for our gift.”
Dr. Laura Maurer NAU donor
President Cruz Rivera is allocating a portion of the Maurers’ gift to the Summer Momentum Scholarship to help first-year Arizona students earn additional summer school credits, maintaining academic momentum for graduation. He is also leveraging their support to increase opportunities for students to participate in mentored research, scholarly work, internships and creative activities.
“The gift from the Maurers is elevating NAU’s commitment to broadening participation, helping to remove financial barriers and fuel students’ persistence and success,” said Cruz Rivera.
Dean Gustafson earmarked some of the Honors College gift toward a new research fellowship for Psychological Sciences students, who will work with faculty on a major grant from the Garcia Family Foundation to develop and implement assessment tools for programs that address homelessness in Arizona. Their gift will also support another new research project organized by Honors College professor Krotke-Crandall, PhD, who specializes in Russian history and Holocaust studies, to work with three Honors students to digitize and transcribe 40 Holocaust survivor interviews archived in NAU’s Cline Library. When completed, the recordings and transcriptions will be housed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
“The main features of an Honors education—close faculty-student interactions, individualized research and creative work, hands-on learning and rich multidisciplinary programming—are key to an extraordinary undergraduate experience for all students,” said Gustafson. “The Maurers’ gift is helping to transform the Honors College, propelling our vision to become the Honors College committed to opportunity and educational access.”
Unrestricted gifts like the Maurers’ are powerful forms of giving, granting flexibility and autonomy for leaders to maximize donor funds for the most pressing issues.
