Columbus-born artist Ann Strub, who now resides in New Orleans, has made history with a recent multi-million-dollar estate gift to support art, music and archival programs at Columbus State University. It represents the largest single gift from an individual to Columbus State and its largest planned gift to date.

“Ann Strub’s extraordinary generosity is more than just a gift; it’s the enduring brushstroke of a visionary—painting a vibrant future for the arts and humanities at Columbus State University for generations to come,” said President Stuart Rayfield. “Her legacy will resonate in the achievements of our students, the richness of our programs and the preservation of our shared history.”

Strub’s newest commitment is part of her ongoing support of Columbus State celebrating her affinity for the arts and her Columbus roots. Those roots include her grandfather, Dr. Roland Bird Daniel, in whose memory she created Daniel Scholarships in the Department of Art and for whom she named the reading room in the CSU Archives & Special Collections. Daniel served as the Columbus Public School System’s superintendent from 1909 to 1937 and chaired the community’s Committee on Education that proposed what is now Columbus State University.

Along with her performing and visual art endeavors, Strub has been fond of literature and reading since an early age. While growing up in Columbus, she and her family were acquainted with Columbus native and American writer Carson McCullers. Decades later, Strub’s name graces the Ann Cox Strub Parlors in McCullers’ childhood home on Stark Avenue, which now houses the Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians and was renovated through donations from Strub and others.

Strub credits her ability to give philanthropically to opportunities her grandfather had as an early investor in Coca-Cola before her family moved to New Orleans. Having retained that stock into her adult life, and considering Coca-Cola’s Columbus origins, she views her planned gift as “a way of reinvesting that money into the Columbus community and the university’s renowned arts programs and Archives & Special Collections.”

She also credits her interests in philanthropy and volunteerism to involvement in and board leadership with the Junior League of New Orleans. She also served as a trustee on the New Orleans Museum of Art and in roles with the Preservation Resource Center, New Orleans City Park and the Beauregard-Keyes House & Garden.

Planned, or estate, gifts are powerful ways donors like Strub can leave a legacy at Columbus State. They represent charitable contributions arranged during a donor’s lifetime but realized by the institution in the future. These gifts often come from assets like bequests in a will or trust, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts or life insurance policies, and even real estate, allowing alumni and friends to support the university’s future in a meaningful way.

Strub recently received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Columbus State, which the university bestowed at its spring commencement exercises last May.