Congratulations to Kat Gardner and her husband Wills on the addition of a second son to their family! Robert “Bobby” Neuet Gardner, whose first and middle names are both in honor of beloved family members, came into the world at 7:52 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18th. Bobby was 20.5 inches long and weighed in at 7 lbs. and 5 ounces. Kat reports that Bobby, big brother Liam (almost 3), and parents are all doing well! Our best wishes to Kat and the entire Gardner family!

Cristi Ganyard
Stewardship & Donor Relations

Team,

Melissa will be transitioning from her current role of Communication and Data Analyst in Gift Management to Gift and Biographic Analyst in Advancement Records. The Advancement Records team couldn’t be more excited to have Mel transition to the squad recognizing the incredible work she has done while in her role in Gift Management. Mel’s first day with the team will be February 1st however she will continue to ensure continuity in the acknowledgment and pledge reminder processes until a replacement for that role is found.

Welcome to the team Mel!

-Patty

Team,

Please join in congratulating Sara Munoz and Matt Futa and big brother Teddy as they welcome Charlotte Elaine Rose Futa! Charlotte arrived on January 24th at 10:01 am weighing 8lbs 4oz and is 20 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful!

-Stacy Koebel

Dear UR colleagues,

The office of Gift and Data Management will be closed on Friday, January 14, 2022 for the team to enjoy a well-deserved long weekend after working over the University holiday break. Therefore, there will be no gift processing completed and the reports for Saturday will not differ from the reports on Friday. Someone will be answering the general phone line and email box for benefactors who need assistance.

The team did an excellent job of answering benefactor and internal partner questions, sending tax receipts, preparing and processing gifts, bio updates and partnering with the Controller’s office to execute a very smooth and efficient calendar year end! Thank you for all your partnership and support!

Amy Schell

Today, we offer our deepest condolences to Larry Helmsing upon the passing of his mother, Katherine (Kathy) Helmsing, on Tuesday, January 4 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The full obituary may be found here.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Friday, January 14 at St Peter’s Catholic Church, 518 East Dewald Street, Fort Wayne with calling one hour prior. Calling will also be held from 5 to 8 pm on Thursday, January 13, at D.O. McComb and Sons Covington Knolls Funeral Home in Fort Wayne.

Please keep Larry and his entire family in your prayers.

~IT&S Team

We are writing to update you on the job responsibilities of Angel Hess:

Angel has transitioned to a role supporting Kim Borza Donaldson, in addition to Melissa Lechlitner-Lewis and Mike Brown. In addition to this support, Angel will continue to manage communications with the Advisory Council for the Student-Athlete, Athletics leadership gift acknowledgments, and Athletics Advancement office operations. She also assists with Athletics gift reporting, Athletics Department communications, and event management for Athletics Advancement and the Monogram Club.

Angel is a wonderful member of the Athletics Advancement team, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on Athletics priorities!

– Kim Borza Donaldson & Brian Powell

Congratulations to Dawn Smith on her new grandson! Greyson Lawrence Danley was born on Monday, January 10th weighing in at 7lbs 3oz. Mom (Dawn’s daughter) Lexy, Dad Philip, and big brother Delcan are all doing great!

Best wishes to their whole family!

Happy birthday to all our UR colleagues celebrating their special days in January! We hope this new year brings you new joy!

1/1 – Stacy Koebel
1/3 – Andrea Swanagan
1/3 – Eileen Gieselman
1/5 – Nancy Cole
1/6 – Dylan Reed
1/7 – Drew Buscareno
1/11 – Colleen Bailey-Knapke
1/11 – Stu Fortener
1/12 – James Riley
1/13 – Laura Walker
1/17 – Anne Overly
1/19 – Jeff Fersch
1/19 – Jay McAllister
1/21 – Matthew McVeigh
1/23 – Heather Christophersen
1/23 – Nadia Erickson
1/24 – Melissa Lechlitner
1/24 – Suzanne DeGuilio
1/25 – Kelly Courington
1/25 – Lou Nanni
1/26 – Chris Baguer
1/26 – Joanne Norell
1/29 – Chris Palmquist
1/30 – Geoff Stookey
1/31 – Bryan Reaume

More on masking: 

• Throughout the Spring Semester, those who are not fully vaccinated—having not received the original vaccine and the booster—will be required to mask indoors and test weekly.
• The current indoor masking requirement applies in all campus buildings, including in classrooms, laboratories and studios. When the campus-wide masking requirement is lifted, faculty may continue to require students to mask in these instructional spaces.
• Visitors are required to wear masks inside campus buildings at all times until further notice.
• While the current masking requirement is in effect, students, faculty and staff are required to wear masks at all times inside South Dining Hall, North Dining Hall, Duncan Student Center, LaFortune and other eateries except when actively eating or drinking.
• Throughout the semester, we urge anyone experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms to stay at home, call their medical provider, and, as appropriate, get tested. Even if you are negative for COVID, please wear your mask indoors on campus while symptoms persist to avoid spreading illness.
• Finally, as has been true throughout the pandemic, we strongly encourage anyone who feels more comfortable masking—for any reason and without needing to offer an explanation—to do so.

As we look to finish the 2021 calendar year, we want to remind you about gift deadlines and instructions. These details are outlined in the 2021 Calendar Year-End letter.

As a reminder, if a benefactor’s gift is not postmarked by December 31, 2021 or in a University account by December 31, 2021, it cannot be considered a 2021 gift for tax purposes. Please encourage your donor’s to send their gifts early to avoid any unforeseen challenges (i.e. USPS delivery, banking systems, etc.)

Happy Holidays!