Gift from FSU alumnus to have transformational impact on College of Arts and Sciences, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Two-time alumnus Granville L. Larimore honored 糖心vlog through a $9.5 million estate gift this fall. The gift has the potential to enhance student success and research opportunities across 30 departments and more than 200 programs of study.
The funds will be evenly distributed between the College of Arts and Sciences and the as an unrestricted gift, which allows the deans of each college the discretion to apply the funds to the areas of greatest need, including faculty and student support.
Larimore, Larry to his friends, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history and a master鈥檚 in economics from FSU in the early 1960s. After graduation, he moved to Atlanta and ultimately secured a position with the Environmental Protection Agency, from which he retired in 1997. Larimore鈥檚 passion for history lasted a lifetime, and, from Switzerland to Egypt, he spent his retirement traveling abroad with his sister, Lila. Larimore died in February at age 86, leaving the gift as part of his estate.
In the College of Arts and Sciences, just over $3.5 million will establish the Granville L. Larimore Endowment for Excellence in Arts and Sciences. The remaining $1.2 million will be immediately put to work.
鈥淎s we stand in celebration of Granville Larimore鈥檚 and his family鈥檚 generosity, we are beyond pleased with this gift,鈥 said Sam Huckaba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淲ith its size and flexibility, the Larimore endowment will have spectacular and lasting impacts on the college and benefited departments. We will use it wisely, track it carefully, and never lose appreciation of its source.鈥
Similarly, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy will use just over $3.5 million of the funds to establish the Granville L. Larimore Endowment for Excellence in Social Sciences, which will allow for creation of new faculty and student support opportunities and a program to recognize faculty and staff excellence. The remaining $1.2 million will support programming and events aimed at enriching the lives of students and alumni.
鈥淭his gift from Granville Larimore and family will have lasting impacts within FSU鈥檚 College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,鈥 said Tim Chapin, dean of the college. 鈥淭hese funds will be invested in our world-class faculty and students, as well as yield expansions to our programming, all in alignment with Mr. Larimore鈥檚 belief that higher education can play a key role in making a better world.鈥
Charitable bequests, such as Larimore鈥檚, are gifts made through a donor鈥檚 will or trust that support FSU鈥檚 mission and make a lasting statement about what matters most to the donor. According to Nancy Smilowitz, assistant dean of advancement and alumni affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences, charitable bequests are the result of trust built over time between a donor and FSU and allow donors to establish a legacy at FSU.
鈥淔lexible gifts of this degree make transformational impacts at the college level,鈥 Smilowitz said. 鈥淏uilding trust over the course of a lifetime affords donors the confidence that the university鈥檚 deans will apply their funds to the areas of most need, which retains and enhances the health of FSU鈥檚 academic units.鈥
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