The following is the text of a draft agreement approved by Dean of the Kennedy School Graham T. Allison '62. It was sent to the Dickinsons and their lawyer on Monday.
Dear Graham:
We wish to enter into an agreement with the Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University that will enable us to encourage public service. Specifically, it is our wish to sponsor a program that through loan forgiveness provisions will enable students at the School of Government to assume certain lower salaried positions in public or non-profit institutions that they could not otherwise accept because of student loan indebtness.
We would propose to create a named Charles and Joanne Dickinson Public Service Endowment at the School. To underwrite the Dickinson Endowment, we would pledge the sum of $500,000 to be payable over a period of not fewer than ten years. Our expectation is to make an initial payment of $250,000, of which $50,000 could be spent on loan forgiveness this academic year.
Our long range plan is that the Charles and Joanne Dickinson Endowment would function as a permanent, named endowed fund at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The specific terms of the Endowment may be modified subsequently upon mutual agreement of the Dean, or his successor, and the donors. If, at some future time, the Endowment cannot be usefully applied to agreed upon purposes, they will be applied to such uses as will most nearly accomplish the donor's initial intent.
During the period in which the Dickinson Endowment is building, we would expect that officials of the School of Government and the central administration of the University would configure this Fund on a quasi-endowment basis. In this instance, both principal and income can be expended during the intial years at a rate to be mutually determined by the donors and the School. It is understood, moreover, that the Dickinson Fund will be credited with earned income each year on the corpus of the Fund. The current rate we understand is at Treasury Bills plus one.
In consideration for this commitment, Harvard University, through the John F. Kennedy School of Government, will agree to give proper recognition and privileges to the donors. The Charles and Joanne Dickinson Endowment will be publicized upon its establishment and student recipients will be advised of the source of this support.
The donors will be appointed by the Dean of the School of Government to serve on the Advisory Committee of the Loan Forgiveness Fund and on the Advisory Committee of the School's Center for Health and Human Resources Policy.
The donors will be appointed by the Dean to appropriate positions in the School of Government that will accord then status as Officers of the University with the privileges associated therewith.
The donors will be invited to appropriate events at the School, again consistent with the relationship the School enjoys with its other major donors.
It is our further wish to become involved in the affairs of the School by hosting dinners, receptions and other appropriate social affairs on behalf of the School.
We would be pleased to discuss any of the details of this agreement and acceptance of this letter or subsequent mutually agreeable modification. We look forward to joining you and your colleagues at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in encouraging young new leadership in public service.
With best wishes.
Sincerely
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