UConn Alumnus Offers Second $25,000 Match
From the UConn Foundation's e-newsletter, Our Moment (August-September 2011)
David Barton '61Just months after UConn students exceeded his inaugural challenge to donate $25,000 in support of the University, an alumnus has again offered a dollar-for-dollar challenge match for student gifts made during the coming academic year.
David Barton ’61 (BUS) (member, UConn Alumni Association) issued his first challenge to current UConn students in the fall of 2010: give $5 or more to an area of particular interest to them at the University, and he would match each gift dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $25,000, for a $50,000 total gift.
“Students need to understand the economics of education—that tuition pays for about one-third, the state pays another third, and philanthropy and grants pay the rest,” Barton said at the time. “In fact, the day they start, they are recipients of philanthropy from people who have gone before them.”
UConn students responded enthusiastically, raising nearly $35,000 for a variety of programs and organizations. The challenge encouraged students to give to a fund of their choice, one of more than 1,300 funds managed by the University of Connecticut Foundation, Inc. Barton says that the success of the challenge prompted him to give again.
“I was thoroughly impressed that UConn’s student body gave back to the degree—and with the enthusiasm—that they did,” Barton says. “No one should underestimate students understanding of the power of donating to what matters most to them. In these economic times, they see the value of scholarships, of everyone in the UConn family contributing to make the University stronger. I am honored that students rose to the challenge and am happy to renew my gift encouraging this important cause.”
The effort to promote student giving at the University was driven by a new Student Philanthropy Association in 2010, which will continue in the new academic year. Dozens of students signed up to be a part of the committee, and more than 25 participated regularly in hosting the numerous events the committee sponsored throughout the year. Past efforts at UConn had focused solely on graduating seniors; the SPA encouraged students of all years to donate.
SPA members, many of whom receive scholarship support themselves, say that after a year of work, they can clearly see how philanthropy supports their UConn experience and future.
"To me, scholarships are not just a gift to cover expenses associated with my education, but rather an investment that will see me through the next three years, as I aim for graduation,” said Curtis Adei ’14, SPA chairman . “Being given a scholarship by generous donors attests to the pride and belief donors have in the hardworking students here at UConn."
The SPA coordinated two significant events this year meant to teach the importance of private giving: Philanthropy Day in the fall, and Tuition Runs Out Day in the spring. Booths were set up in the Student Union and on Fairfield Way. They also partnered with the UConn Alumni Association in speaking to freshmen through the Freshman Experience program about the importance of student and alumni giving and involvement.
“Everyone in the UConn family, whether an alumni or a current student, has benefited from philanthropy,” Barton says. “The students who give this year are leaving their legacy for those who follow.”
UConn students can make a gift to support the part of UConn that matters most to them by clicking here.
