The Faculty/Staff Campaign continues to gain momentum with a record 58 percent of employees making a gift to the university this year. Faculty and staff donors celebrated this achievement in McKinnon Hall on Wednesday, April 13. President Leo M. Lambert accepted a check for $290,464 from campaign co-chairs Jim Drummond and Rhonda Belton. Gifts have continued to come in and as of May 6, the total raised is $303,321.
There is still time to participate in this year’s Faculty/Staff Campaign, which ends May 31. This has been the university’s most successful annual giving drive among employees. As of May 6, 696 faculty and staff, or 58 percent, have made a gift this year. During 2009-2010, 420 faculty and staff, or 34 percent, contributed $248,796 to the university. For the second consecutive year, 100 percent of faculty and staff at the School of Law have made a gift.
At the campaign celebration, President Lambert thanked faculty and staff for their participation and for making a real difference in the lives of students.
“This is an incredible community,” Lambert said. “Elon is about the strength of its people and the spirit of this place.”
The president said private foundations and other benefactors often look at the percentage of faculty and staff who give before deciding whether to support Elon.
“They ask how is the family doing giving back, and we have a great story to tell,” Lambert said.
The president also emphasized the importance of annual giving in supporting financial aid for students and that requests for assistance from all Elon students have increased 26 percent this year.
“These gifts make a real life-changing difference in the lives of many students,” he said. “I hope that warms your heart as it does mine.”
Many faculty and staff this year made gifts to support student scholarships along with Elon Experiences programs, faculty development and Phoenix athletics.
“Giving back to Elon is another way I feel that I can support the university outside of my main responsibilities as a staff member,” says Clifton Johnson, assistant director of campus center operations. “Every day when I come to work, I am able to see all the great things Elon continues to do, which also inspires me to continue to give.”
“I give to support our law students, and I know that 100 percent of my gift goes toward scholarships for our students,” says Karen Chisnall, information analyst for career services at the School of Law.
All gifts to the Faculty/Staff Campaign count toward Ever Elon: The Campaign for the Future of Our University, currently in its final year. To date, alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff have contributed approximately $90 million in gifts and pledges toward the $100 million goal.
To make your gift to this year’s Faculty/Staff Campaign, please click on the link to the right. Elon is grateful to all faculty and staff who have made this year’s campaign a success. Elon also would like to thank the student group Dodekalithon for donating the cake and ice cream for the campaign celebration.