Walking the Talk

The Importance of Giving Back

Warren Haug ’63 MS, ’65 PhD, ’94 P has been a dedicated member of the Northwestern community for more than five decades. Equally committed is his wife, Karen, who connected to the University through her husband and son, Kevin Haug ’94, ’01 MBA.

Originally from Milwaukee, Warren earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since he wanted to stay in the Midwest for graduate school, he found Northwestern was the obvious choice. Warren earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science before embarking on a 30-year career in research at Procter & Gamble Co.

While serving on the McCormick Advisory Council, Warren had the opportunity to join McCormick as an adjunct professor. For 15 years, Warren taught two courses, one focusing on personal and organizational effectiveness and the other on management and metrics of product development.

When speaking to graduates at the McCormick convocation 20 years ago, Warren emphasized the importance of philanthropy.

He closed his 1995 speech with “one more thing-give something back.” He advised the new graduates that, as they had received much from their professors and the University, they should strive to provide service and financial support to Northwestern when they are able. In the ensuing years, Warren says, he made sure that he and Karen were “walking the talk.”

In 2008, Warren and Karen created a charitable gift annuity to benefit McCormick. Warren called the gift “a win for both. We benefit while we’re alive, and when we’re gone, the University benefits.”

This gift arrangement allows the Haugs to make a gift to the University, receive a federal income tax deduction in the same year that the annuity was established, and receive a fixed amount of income for life, at a rate that is higher than what they receive through some of their other investments.

In exchange for the gift, Northwestern will make regular payments to Warren and Karen for life. After the life of the annuity, the remainder will go to support McCormick.

“Being able to direct our gift toward breakthrough research in the chemical and biological engineering department helps us feel like participants, not spectators, in the progress being made by Northwestern,” Karen says.

Contact Northwestern Gift Planning at 800-826-6709 or giftplanning@northwestern.edu to learn how you can support Northwestern today.