PND (8/29/2000) -- Berkeley Business School to Offer Course on Philanthropy

In her course summary for "Contemporary Philanthropy," a class being taught this fall at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, M. Frances Van Loo asks her students to consider what they would do if they suddenly became rich.

"Or, [what would you do] if you were rich enough when you were older so that you no longer needed money for your children's education, or more homes, or money for travel, or more savings for retirement?" asks Van Loo, an associate professor of business administration.

Designed for future philanthropists, the 10-session, one- unit course offers an overview of the history of philanthropy and various cultural approaches to giving, and provides practical information on donating money and time. The class looks at what standards to apply when choosing among charities, and how to decide if support should be in the form of volunteering, cash, gifts of stock, or pre-IPO stock options. The course also helps teach students the plusses and minuses of a giving through a donor-designated trust, establishing a new charitable foundation, or starting one's own nonprofit agency.

"The need in the state of California for this kind of information is so great," said Van Loo, referring to the state's explosion in high-tech wealth.

"UC Berkeley Teaching High-Tech Era Students How to Give Their Money Away, Run Nonprofit Organizations." UC Berkeley Press Release 8/24/2000.

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