Season of giving benefits ECU students
Giving Tuesday continues to bring out the generosity of the Pirate Nation. The 2016 day to donate to educational and non-profit organizations brought in $136,736 to East Carolina University. In the three years that ECU has been participating in Giving Tuesday, the university has raised $463,279.
“Thank you Pirate Nation, your generosity is very much appreciated,” said Chris Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Your donations are an investment in what we are doing here at ECU with our vision to enhance student success, serve the public and transform the region.”
The support for Giving Tuesday came from all across the country, with people donating in amounts ranging from $10 to more than $30,000. There were 24 states represented — North Carolina residents donated the majority with California coming in second. The gifts were spread throughout the university with Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences receiving the largest portion at $47,341. Rounding out the top five supported programs were the Honors College, College of Business, Pirate Club and School of Dental Medicine.
“With these gifts, we will move closer to achieving one of our major goals — doubling the number of students who study abroad each year,” said Dr. William Downs, dean of Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. “We firmly believe that ECU students should graduate with more global competence and more global competitiveness than ever before, and scholarship dollars are essential to making this ambition a reality.”
On top of that, Downs said the funding by alumni and friends helped sustain the Voyages of Discovery, which has brought more than 24,000 students, faculty and community members to campus to hear from the world’s foremost authorities in the sciences, the arts and the humanities.
Glenn Woodard is a 1958 graduate of ECU and is a member of the advancement council for Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences. He was one of the 170 people who donated to the university on Giving Tuesday. He said he donated to Voyages of Discovery because he loves ECU and credits it for making him who he is today.
“I think ECU is a terrific asset for eastern North Carolina. It has a great reputation for service and has produced dynamic graduates,” Woodard added.
“People might not realize how important these donations are day to day. With the money being allocated to priority funds, those dollars make a direct impact on specific program budgets. This funding will enhance our students’ education as well as our faculty’s access to technology,” Dyba said.
Following Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday has become a new tradition for people to give back in the form of charitable gifts in the beginning of the holiday shopping season. If you would like to donate to East Carolina University or for more information, visit http://www.ecu.edu/give/.
–Rich Klindworth