The family that gives together, grows together

Parents set up endowment to inspire their son on his philanthropy journey

You don’t have to be an alum to make a difference in higher education. Some of the most impactful members of the University of Oregon community are parents who entrust their children to the university in the first few years after they fly from the nest. 

They’re parents like Nancy and Phil Estes, whose son Casey graduated in 2023 with a degree in geography and minors in sports business and business administration. Casey experienced an almost immediate “sense of belonging” the first time he visited the Eugene campus, and he grew to love the UO’s reputation for athletics, Greek life, and beautiful scenery. Neither he nor his parents expected the COVID-19 pandemic to take place during his sophomore year. 

“When the pandemic hit, we had three kids in college at the time and so got the opportunity to see up close how different colleges handled it,” Phil says. “UO did by far the best job among the three in balancing the effort to keep education going and take really good care of kids who couldn't go home or had health issues.” 

Seeing UO take action inspired the Estes to first give to the Students in Crisis Fund, which helped students meet their basic needs of food, housing, childcare, and more. Then came the surprising phone call from a 503 area code. 

“President Schill called to thank us personally,” Phil says. “It was powerful.” 

That’s the moment that the Estes family realized they could make an even larger impact at the UO through setting up an endowment. Even better—they could use their endowment to teach Casey about the power of philanthropy.

A gift with purpose

Endowments are gifts that create a current and future revenue stream for the UO to provide students with a world-class education and valuable resources. The Estes family endowment set up a scholarship for full-time students with established financial need. Preference for this RENEWABLE one-year award is given to students in good academic standing who show commitment to the community through civic engagement, leadership, and initiative. The Estes’s worked with Greg Jones, associate vice president of principal giving, and Susanna Wise, senior associate director of development, to establish and now steward their endowment. 

“Greg and Susanna were extremely effective stewards who helped us craft an endowment that was student-centric and met our objectives,” Phil says. “They’ve represented the university so, so well.”
 

Nancy and Phil also worked with Parent and Family Engagement and Philanthropy as part of UO’s University of Advancement team. Founded in 2023,  Parent and Family Engagement and Philanthropy  offers support and partnership to the UO's extended Ducks family. Research indicates that family involvement contributes significantly to student success, and students benefit when their family supports and shares in their university experience. Because of this, the Parent and Family Engagement works to ensure parents and family roles are celebrated within the UO community and that parents like the Estes’s feel engaged with and at home on campus.

"Parent and Family Giving isn't just about donations—it's about fostering a sense of belonging and support within the Duck community,” says Amy Swank, director of Parent and Family Engagement and Philanthropy. “From our very first interaction, our mission has been clear: to ensure every family feels valued and empowered to make a difference. Seeing families like the Estes's engage and create lasting impact through their endowment is a testament to the power of philanthropy in higher education.” 

Nancy and Phil say that the mission of Parent and Family Giving was effective from day one. 

“We have such a warm feeling about the university and have been so happy and fortunate that Casey was able to go here,” says Nancy. “I feel that he was well-taken care of, and that Oregon suited him perfectly. We’re grateful that the school and Casey found each other.”

A family tradition

Nancy and Phil are no strangers to university giving. The two have been dedicated donors to their and their children’s alma maters. Phil says this passion for higher education was instilled in him as a child growing up in Oklahoma, where education was the “ticket to help me reach my goals.” 

“As I look back now on sixty-five years of life, it’s amazing how transformative education was for me. And so, our hope is to make that be the case for others, particularly those who might not have the capacity on their own to access it,” Phil says. 

Nancy is a graduate of University of California, Berkley, and Phil has degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Harvard Business School. Phil founded the investment firm Horizon Holdings in 1989 and has been an avid participant in community service through his work with nonprofits and numerous boards and committees. In 2011, he received the Jefferson Award for Public Service. One of the aspects of giving that Phil enjoys most is hearing from the individuals who have benefited from it. 

“The first time that you get a thank-you note or a video or a card from a scholarship recipient, you best be sitting in a private place when you watch or read it because it's really moving,” Phil says. “We will never know them personally, but it's awesome to have that little moment of connection and to know they'll go do their own great things and probably give back to the university in their own way that's meaningful for them.” 

Nancy and Phil hope that Casey will be similarly motivated to give. He’s already following in his parent’s business-focused footsteps as a business development representative for a company in the Chicago area where he also loves watching Ducks Football games at local UO alumni chapter events. 

“We hope that Casey will find other ways to continue his engagement with the university that are meaningful to him, whether that's through this scholarship, with the UO Alumni Association chapter in Chicago, or in other ways,” Phil says. 

Casey says he plans to stay as involved in the UO community as possible, and that he’s grateful that his parents have taken a vested interest in his personal and philanthropic development. 

“Having Mom and Dad by my side throughout this entire process, not only during college, but also after college has been second to none,” Casey says. “You need to have a good support system around you if you want to be successful. I really take it as a privilege and not something to be taken for granted for a single second.” 

As the Estes family endowment continues to make meaningful change in the lives of UO students, the Estes’s urge others to consider investing in higher education. 

“The University of Oregon offers a transformative opportunity to help young people pursue a high-quality education,” Phil says. “We were able to have a hand in fostering critical student support that is rewarding for them and us, and I would encourage others to do the same thing. One can make a really big impact on people’s lives through education at the UO.”