{"id":19851,"date":"2019-03-25T21:01:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T21:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/?p=19851"},"modified":"2025-11-10T17:02:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:02:51","slug":"2019-legacy-award-recipients-jud-marquardt-connie-niva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2019\/03\/25\/2019-legacy-award-recipients-jud-marquardt-connie-niva","title":{"rendered":"2019 Legacy Award Recipients \u2013 Jud Marquardt &amp; Connie Niva"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\n    <div class=\"responsive-embed widescreen\">\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2019 UW Bothell Legacy Award\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vuTXAtFrH0c?start=1&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/div>\n\n    \n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both within a few months of turning 80, Connie Niva and Jud Marquardt have left a powerful imprint on the communities in Snohomish and King counties they call home. This includes UW Bothell, which they have supported for many years and which now figures prominently in their estate plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When deciding where and how to give back, says Jud, people often \u201cseek out an established connection \u2014 from their own or their children\u2019s history \u2014 but it\u2019s not required.\u201d Neither he nor Connie attended the University of Washington. Only one of their combined six children did. But both saw an untapped opportunity in the young UW Bothell campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Supporting student access and opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen you look at Everett and Snohomish County, there were so many students, but they had been shortchanged,\u201d says Connie, noting there was no easily accessible UW campus in the area before UW Bothell was founded. \u201cNow, they make up a significant proportion of UW Bothell students, which provides needed engineers for Boeing, nurses for the region\u2019s hospitals, and teachers and principals for local schools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connie, who was a co-founder of the Center for Women in Democracy in Seattle, says she feels personally connected to the school\u2019s commitment to educating women, especially in fields where they remain underrepresented. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to go back that far,\u201d she says, \u201cto see that there were not many opportunities for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the very beginning, Connie says, UW Bothell was intentional about attracting students who were financially disadvantaged or the first in their immediate families to earn a four-year degree \u2014 students who have incredible drive and important dreams to realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a first-generation college student, this resonates with Jud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s all about putting the students first, he says. \u201cYou can see this with class size and teacher\u2013student ratios. While these are easier to do as a young educational institution, even as it grows the Bothell campus consistently sets itself apart in this respect and is doing more than ever for the students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Imagining the possibilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There is absolute clarity of purpose for both Connie and Jud when it comes to addressing the cost shift in public higher education from the state to students and families. Connie explains it was a very different financial picture when she and Jud attended college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe came through school for under $100 for a quarter because the state was funding school then,\u201d she says. \u201cWe came out of college debt-free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graduating without crippling debt made all the difference in what they could do with their lives \u2014 and how they could give back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With an undergraduate degree in microbiology and a master\u2019s degree in government relations \u2014 which she earned at age 53 \u2014 Connie took on a number of leadership roles in public service. She was a member of the Everett City Council and Everett Port Commission. She served on the Washington State Transportation Commission, for three years as its chair. For 12 years, she also was a member of Washington State University\u2019s Board of Regents, twice serving as chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jud co-founded a successful architecture firm, LMN Architects, which now has a 40-year legacy of projects across the country \u2014 including the Activities &amp; Recreation Center on the UW Bothell campus. He also has been a dynamic member of the UW Bothell Advisory Board for the last 15 years, serving as chair for two of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On one point, Jud is unequivocal: Had it not been for the state school system, its funding and the doors that a four-year college degree opened, he and Connie would not have had the means to become the highly productive and engaged members in their respective communities. And they would not have been able to support UW Bothell among other noteworthy higher education institutions across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStudents need to begin their lives without this overwhelming weight of debt,\u201d Jud says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making a difference at UW Bothell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked why they support UW Bothell, the answer is simple: How could we not? They are quick to point with pride at the successes of the school, its students and alumni. Statewide, UW Bothell has an enviable graduation rate, says Jud. \u201cTheir highest average graduate starting salaries \u2014 the ROI of the cost of education \u2014 are an assurance that the time and donations we make are fueling success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese are powerful ways to say, \u2018Don\u2019t overlook UW Bothell,\u2019\u201d he adds, noting that UW Bothell has evolved to become a first-choice school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a transformative moment for UW Bothell, Connie and Jud believe. \u201cIt\u2019s a top-tier higher ed institution now and is continuing to evolve every day,\u201d says Jud. \u201cWe know that our contribution will help ensure that today\u2019s progress continues into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another point of pride for the couple is the fact that 61% of UW Bothell undergraduate students and 54% of graduate students graduated debt-free in 2018-19. \u201cAs donors, these numbers tell us that there is a return on our investment,\u201d Jud says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recognition of their service, philanthropy and inspiration, UW Bothell named Connie and Jud the recipients of the 2019 Legacy Award, the highest award for donors and supporters of the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are ready to support higher education wherever it\u2019s being delivered with enthusiasm and success,\u201d says Connie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Staying in the game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond their own personal contributions, Connie and Jud take a community view of philanthropy and believe in the collective power of giving. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating a group force for change. You need bodies, and there\u2019s nothing better than people working together to support students,\u201d says Jud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA hallmark of UW Bothell is to honor all contributions,\u201d he adds. \u201cNo gift is too small, and when you look at the board and alumni contributions, this is verifiable enthusiasm for the institution. It shows that everyone is in the game \u2014 including faculty and staff \u2014 and that\u2019s powerful!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adds Connie: \u201cHelping students thrive and live their dreams is the best investment in the future of our community and the school. We put UW Bothell in our estate plan,\u201d she says, \u201cand we want others to stay in the game with us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both within a few months of turning eighty, Connie Niva and Jud Marquardt have left a powerful imprint on the communities in Snohomish and King counties they call home. This includes UW Bothell, which they have supported for many years, and which now figures prominently in their estate plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,28,33,1],"tags":[],"school":[],"class_list":["post-19851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donor-profile","category-regional-research-impact","category-scholarship","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>2019 Legacy Award Recipients \u2013 Jud Marquardt &amp; Connie Niva - Give to UW Bothell<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/give\/news\/2019\/03\/25\/2019-legacy-award-recipients-jud-marquardt-connie-niva\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2019 Legacy Award Recipients \u2013 Jud Marquardt &amp; Connie Niva - Give to UW Bothell\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Both within a few months of turning eighty, Connie Niva and Jud Marquardt have left a powerful imprint on the communities in Snohomish and King counties they call home. 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