Planned Giving in Action

Joseph ’63 and Kathy Hagan ’64 have long been involved as Villanova University alumni. For about more than a decade, they hosted an “annual bash” for fellow alumni living in Los Angeles. Even 50 years after graduation, the couple are still close with friends and look forward to returning to campus for each Reunion.

Those lasting friendships are among the reasons the Hagans cite for making a planned gift to Villanova.

“We have a lifelong gratitude for what Villanova has given us.”

A few years ago, Kathy and Joe decided to think more seriously about their estate plans. As they made revisions, the couple revisited a goal they had discussed but had not yet acted on: leaving a legacy gift for Villanova.

After some discussion with the office of gift and estate planning, the Hagans made a gift of retirement funds, which would establish an endowed scholarship on their behalf. Joe and Kathy both attended Catholic high schools in the Philadelphia area, and their scholarship will make it possible for a student from one of those schools or another local Catholic school to attend Villanova.

“We like the idea that it helps a deserving student who needs some money to help pay for school,” Joe says.

About a year after declaring that bequest, the Hagans decided that they wanted to see more immediate impact from their gift. So, they made a five-year pledge that would get the scholarship started. The Hagans now look forward to meeting their first scholarship recipient.

“We have been very impressed with how the school has developed,” Joe says. “The academics are outstanding, and they seem to be doing all the right things to attract high performing and talented students while maintaining a good environment for those students to grow.”

Joe and Kathy believe that planned gifts are “ripe” for the making, but will need to tackle some barriers, such as alumni who have no written will. While everyone’s gift may be different, Joe says that the process of declaring their gift was very simple. “Kathy has an IRA, and all we had to do was change the beneficiary,” he explains.

The Hagans are glad to support the education of future Villanovans, but they emphasized that it’s not just about what you learn in the classroom. “You learn a way of thinking and how to interact with people in common endeavors,” Joe says. “That’s the real value.”