a strong foundation - Maryland Institute College of Art

G E O R G E B U N T I N G
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I took a photography course at MICA through continuing
studies, and my wife,Anne, took interior design. For me, art
is nourishment for the soul and for the eye. Anne went on
to be an artist: a potter and a painter. I became involved with
MICA more than 30 years ago. I was fascinated by the studio
program combined with a college degree. It’s different
from seeing someone studying accounting. It’s rewarding to
give to a quality institution, and
RIGHT NOW, MICA IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR TO BE THE
to see very positive results from
BEST ART COLLEGE IN THE COUNTRY. THE VISION AND LEADthat
support.You can see the liv-
ERSHIP ARE THERE. WHAT’S MISSING IS THE ENDOWMENT.
ing results in the students.
8 < M I C A ’ 0 5
I’m a believer in non-designated gifts and letting the board
and administration decide where a gift is most meaningful for
an institution. I don’t give to specific projects because I think
flexibility, in the long run, is more useful for an institution. In
MICA, I see the commitment of the faculty and administration,
the highly creative students who come here—they’re
quite polished and professional when they walk through the
door from high school, and they just go on from there. I
chaired the committee that brought Fred Lazarus to MICA,
and count that as one of my best contributions. His contributions
to the community beyond MICA and his role in making
MICA a critical anchor for the Mount Royal area don’t
go unnoticed beyond the campus.The quality of the faculty,
depth of program, comprehensive campus planning—it all
works together in harmony to make MICA an institution
worth investing in.
I think sometimes people don’t realize that an institution
like MICA can help you structure your gifts in ways that
make the most sense to you, and that you can make a
significant contribution to an institution you love without
always making an outright gift.You can do planned giving
where you have income flowing back and the principal
going to the institution.
Right now, MICA is knocking on the door to be the best
art college in the country. The vision and leadership are
there. What’s missing is the endowment. The College’s
endowment is small relative to its operating budget and
number of students, so growing the endowment is very
critical and a high priority for this institution.