Savvy Donor Supports Student Wellness

Nancy Harris (’75) was looking for a way to support her alma mater when she visited campus and met Dr. Aaron Barnes, director of the U of A’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). A retired administrator of high school special education programs, Harris was already aware of the profound impact the availability of mental health services can have on a student’s trajectory both personally and academically.

“When we think about mental health treatment, we think about, ‘oh, students who need it can go for therapy,’ but there’s so much more going on at CAPS,” Harris says—highlighting initiatives like Together We Care, which helps train faculty and staff to identify signs of students in crisis. She resolved at the meeting with Dr. Barnes to give to CAPS.

“During my life, I’ve been aware of mental health as being as much of a need as physical health,” she says, “and I made a decision to provide the best gift I could at the time to CAPS.” A portion of that gift came from a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), which allows donors to give up to $105,000 annually from their IRA to eligible organizations. The contribution also counts toward the donor’s annual required minimum distribution.

“I wanted to make a gift that could make a difference in the lives of students by providing them with the services they need in order to be successful,” Harris says. “Because the challenges of going to college are so great, both financially and emotionally.”