Craig D. Jessop Chair for Choral Conducting and Community Engagement Endowment

The College of Arts & Sciences is working towards establishing an endowed chair, known as the Jessop Chair, with a funding target of $3 million that will establish the endowment in perpetuity. Securing the future of choral music at Utah State, the Craig D. Jessop Chair will serve as:

• Director of Graduate Studies in Choral Conducting (faculty role)
• Music Director for the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra (community engagement role)

Honoring the incredible mark he has made on the profession of choral conducting, the named chair will perpetuate Craig Jessop’s legacy with the American Festival Chorus and Orchestra and USU’s Master of Choral Conducting degree program, both of which he founded. Utah State’s collaboration with the AFCO supports high level community music making, providing a learning laboratory for graduate students as conductors and singers, and enhancing the university’s visibility in the community. The holder of this chair will, as has Jessop, be at the forefront of building the next generation of choral conductors. USU will be uniquely positioned to attract the right artist-teacher to succeed Jessop and lead the graduate program and the AFCO into the future. The endowment will:

• Secure the future of choral music at Utah State
• Ensure USU attracts an established, highly respected choral conductor
• Help fund travel opportunities, commission musical compositions and arrangements, and bring in guests and other activities that enrich our students’ experiences
• Give graduates the best opportunity to go on to attend the nation’s top doctoral programs in musical arts
• Maintain USU’s partnership with the AFCO, one of Caine School's most visible community engagement endeavors welcoming 13,000 audience members annually
• Continue to give graduate students the opportunity to conduct and perform with the AFCO in a professional capacity

Your gift will be used only for the above-stated purpose if the required minimum endowment level of $3,000,000 is met December 31, 2029.  If not met, the fund will be assessed by the USU Foundation to determine if it is feasible to continue raising funds for the Endowment.

The Endowment will exist in perpetuity.  If circumstances arise that render the stated purpose of the Endowment (as set forth herein) illegal, impractical, impossible, or wasteful (e.g., a change in law, the elimination of a USU program, position, or course of study, the persistent unavailability of scholarship recipients that meet the criteria, etc.); then, as set forth in this Solicitation, under such circumstances and in keeping with Utah Code 51-8-501(1), USU may designate a new purpose for the Endowment.  Any such new purpose shall be defined by USU’s President and College of Arts & Sciences Dean.

The Endowment shall be deposited and invested by the Board of Trustees of USU, through the USU Investment Advisory Committee in accordance with USU’s investment policy.  The USU Foundation is the legal entity designated by USU to receive charitable gifts in support of its academic mission.

Distributions from the Endowment shall be governed by USU’s Endowment Spending Policy. The spending policy calls for an annual distribution up to 5% (currently set at 4%) of the value of the endowment account to be expended per the gift agreement. An additional 1.5% of the endowment value shall be used to fund the administration of the endowment and USU advancement efforts.  All additional gains shall be retained as appreciation and invested along with the corpus to grow the value of the Endowment over time.

By letter dated May 21, 2008, the Internal Revenue Service has declared the USU Foundation (federal tax identification number 87-0627128), to be a duly qualified charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) and also an organization described in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(iv) of the Internal Revenue Code.  The Foundation is a duly chartered active Utah nonprofit corporation, under the provision of Utah Code, Title 16, Chapter 6a.