WSU Honors College Receives Transformational Gift

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University Honors College alumna Jody Buckley (English, 1987), of Menlo Park, Cal., has pledged the largest multiyear cash gift in the history of the Honors College. The first installment of $150,000 will be forthcoming this fiscal year.

When the gift is completed, it will bring Buckley’s philanthropy to the Honors College to more than $1 million since 1999.  The funds will create an endowment for faculty excellence, provide resources to transform the curriculum around the theme of “global leadership” and expand scholarship opportunities for current Honors College students.

“I hope other Honors alumni and friends will share my view that philanthropy doesn’t have to wait until retirement,” Buckley said.  As a second-generation Cougar, this is the second time she has honored her father, Sidney R. Buckley of Kettle Falls, who is a 1947 WSC political science graduate and a retired superior court judge. In appreciation of the Cougar family legacy that her father pioneered, Buckley previously endowed a scholarship in her father’s honor for Honors students in good standing who grew up in rural eastern Washington and have financial need.

“This is a critical step in reaching our overall vision of creating a premiere Honors College,” said Mary Wack, Honors College dean. “We want to position our graduates alongside those from the top research schools in the nation.  This transformational gift to the Honors College helps lay the groundwork for offering the best undergraduate education at a research university — a WSU priority for all undergraduates.”

Buckley, who is active in a variety of political and social causes in California, said she appreciates her experiences in the Honors College. “It was an excellent education,” she said, “and I want current students to have the same worthwhile schooling.”