Although this campaign has ended, you can still make a gift to the Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment by using the Give to Ohio University donation page. Thank you, and Go Bobcats!
Let’s face it, field training is likely one of your most memorable experiences from college. Every year, Geological Sciences students gain hands-on training relevant to their future careers. These experiences are fun and interactive, but they can be costly. That’s why the Geological Sciences Alumni Advisory Board set a goal to build endowed support for field training so there would be no cost to students.
During last year’s field course, led by Dr. Stigall, students studied four phases of mountain building and one of continental rifting in the Central Appalachians (Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia). This year’s field course, to be led by Dr. Fornash, will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the students will be studying the geologic evolution of the western North American margin from subduction to strike-slip.
Year after year, your gifts to the Yeats-Smith-Nance and other endowments help to provide Bobcat students with hands-on training which is relevant to their future careers. This year, your gifts will again have the added impact of helping to unlock additional support for field training.
Thanks to generous donors, we have $8,000 in additional support available for unlocking
Pat Jackson, BS '81, MS '83, Chair of the Geological Sciences Alumni Advisory Board, and Chick McCormick ‘66, have graciously organized this opportunity to incentivize their fellow alumni to give toward the Yeats-Smith-Nance endowment (and other Geo Sci funds). For every 10 donors who contribute a gift — either through this campaign page, by responding to the direct mail letter, or online* — either Pat or Chick will gift $1,000 toward the fund. This year, with support from 80 donors, $8,000 can be added to the Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment.
Please give generously as we strive to make field training free for students to participate in. And please see the Updates tab for how you can help the department maximize this opportunity.
The Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment directly supports the continuation of Field Geology, either through direct expenses or scholarships to enrolled students. This endowment was established by Geoscience Alumni in 2014 and honors former professors Yeats, Smith, and Nance. Twenty to thirty students participate in field geology each year, and this fund helps offset some of their costs. We hope that one day the fund will grow to the point where students won’t have to pay out-of-pocket for these experiences, which have become financially burdensome for some students.
The Geological Sciences Alumni Advisory Board has a $1M goal for endowments supporting field training — so the opportunity is fully funded annually and free for students to participate. Because of the previous giving by alumni and friends, the board can report that they're about 36% of the way there!
Help us reach our goal by making a gift to the Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment today. Your gift will continue the great progress we are making to sustain this experience for our future geologists
Your actions now will make reaching this $1 million goal more achievable. Here are five things alumni can do to support a brighter future for students and field training:
Gifts of all sizes – and types! – support the students who are following in your footsteps. The incentive from Pat and Chick means your gift to the Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment (and other funds at OU that support field training) will also help unlock funds that will grow the endowment toward the $1M goal!
While the letter many alumni received was signed by the Chair of the Alumni Advisory Board, Patrick Jackson, there is a whole volunteer board dedicated to supporting current students. This board has committed to 100% participation in support of this crowdfunding effort for the Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment. The Geological Sciences Department and the College of Arts & Sciences hope you'll join them in this effort.
A Special Thank You To The GeoSci Alumni Advisory Board. A unifying goal of all board members is supporting field training for students.
Donations to this campaign from board members, alumni, students, parents, and friends will support The Yeats-Smith-Nance Geology Field Camp Endowment. This fund directly supports the continuation of Field Geology either through direct expenses or scholarships to enrolled students.
*Giving Online: Want to support a different GeoSci fund? Visit the Geological Sciences Giving Opportunities page to see the 14 other funds that support the Geological Sciences department and its students. Each linked fund name will connect to a secure Give to Ohio University page.
Looking to make a gift to a different OHIO fund? Visit give.ohio.edu/funds and search our database of over 2,000 funds, all aimed at supporting our students, faculty, and campuses.