My alma mater — Indiana State University — gathered together administrators and alumni this weekend to discuss the school’s largest ever fund-raising campaign and how the money would be used to improve the educational experience for students.
As a result of my five years on the board of the Indiana State University Foundation, I have a fuller appreciation of the need for all public universities to have access to funds in addition to what they get from public coffers and tuition. A page one story in today’s New York Times coincidentally underscores this need and the importance of alumni giving. With dramatic decreases in state funding of colleges, colleges are putting a greater emphasis on untapped resources–grateful graduates.
I started making small donations to my alma mater shortly after graduation, and I underscore “small.” Fortunately, as my career advanced, I was able to steadily increase those donations. This weekend, I talked with fellow grads who have made substantial donations and our stories are similar–our college experience changed our lives for the better. Our contributions will allow more students to do the same.
Even though we’re two weeks into the new year, if you haven’t done so already, please resolve to start the habit of supporting your alma mater.