Herrick Society Stories
Love of Literature Leads to Lifetime Plan
Cathy D. Hemming, '70, knows the study of
literature can be a potent springboard to success
in writing and a variety of other fields. After all,
she translated her own love of books into a career
as a top executive with two major American
book publishers.
After earning her degree in political science
at Kent State, she moved to the Cleveland area
to attend graduate school. She also worked at a
bookstore in Shaker Heights. Cathy's knowledge
and passion for quality material led her to become
president and publisher of HarperCollins General
Books Group. She ultimately left that position to
co-found LevelFiveMedia, an innovative New York
City literary agency that provides a host of services
to authors.
"I've spent my career in the book industry.
The written word is very important to me," Cathy
says. She recently created a lifetime financial plan
that enables her to set aside funds for a faculty
endowment in the Department of English while
also guaranteeing herself an income when she retires.
Through discussions with Joe Macedo, associate
vice president of gift and estate planning at Kent State, Cathy has planned a series of deferred
charitable gift annuities and an outright gift to
achieve her personal and philanthropic goals.
"It's important to me that Kent State undergraduates
have a strong classical education,"
says Cathy. "I had endowed a student scholarship
a few years ago, and this time I wanted to make
a gift that would help Kent State recruit the
best professors."
The Cathy
D. Hemming
Associate
Professoriate in
Literature will
augment the
compensation and support the research activities
of Kent State scholars in the field of comparative
literature. This associate professoriate position—the first to be created in the humanities—will be
awarded competitively to existing faculty for a
period of six years. "If you can't endow a chair,
this is the next best way to recruit and reward
faculty who are clearly outstanding," Cathy
said. Her gift reflects her belief that the study
of different literary traditions helps students
to see beyond their own cultural, linguistic,
and historical horizons.
In addition to her philanthropy, Cathy provides
valuable leadership to the Kent State University
Foundation as an officer of its board of directors
and chair of the Development Committee.
Herrick Society StoriesLove of Literature Leads to Lifetime Plan
Cathy D. Hemming, '70, knows the study of literature can be a potent springboard to success in writing and a variety of other fields. After all, she translated her own love of books into a career as a top executive with two major American book publishers. After earning her degree in political science at Kent State, she moved to the Cleveland area to attend graduate school. She also worked at a bookstore in Shaker Heights. Cathy's knowledge and passion for quality material led her to become president and publisher of HarperCollins General Books Group. She ultimately left that position to co-found LevelFiveMedia, an innovative New York City literary agency that provides a host of services to authors. "I've spent my career in the book industry. The written word is very important to me," Cathy says. She recently created a lifetime financial plan that enables her to set aside funds for a faculty endowment in the Department of English while also guaranteeing herself an income when she retires. Through discussions with Joe Macedo, associate vice president of gift and estate planning at Kent State, Cathy has planned a series of deferred charitable gift annuities and an outright gift to achieve her personal and philanthropic goals. "It's important to me that Kent State undergraduates have a strong classical education," says Cathy. "I had endowed a student scholarship a few years ago, and this time I wanted to make a gift that would help Kent State recruit the best professors." The Cathy D. Hemming Associate Professoriate in Literature will augment the compensation and support the research activities of Kent State scholars in the field of comparative literature. This associate professoriate position—the first to be created in the humanities—will be awarded competitively to existing faculty for a period of six years. "If you can't endow a chair, this is the next best way to recruit and reward faculty who are clearly outstanding," Cathy said. Her gift reflects her belief that the study of different literary traditions helps students to see beyond their own cultural, linguistic, and historical horizons. In addition to her philanthropy, Cathy provides valuable leadership to the Kent State University Foundation as an officer of its board of directors and chair of the Development Committee. |