Faculty, Staff Encouraged to Donate to USU

Faculty and staff are encouraged to donate to Utah State University during its first employee giving campaign conducted in recent times. The campaign, called the USU Family Fund, began Wednesday (Feb. 15) and runs through March 31.

“Utah State’s future is bright and exciting,” said Annual Fund Director Lee Roderick. “But we have many pressing needs without the resources to meet them. We must attract more support from alumni and friends.”

 

Potential contributors, in weighing whether to give, often ask if USU’s own employees give, said Roderick.

 

USU’s challenges include rising tuition and a serious lack of scholarship funding to help students pay it. Other priority needs include attracting and retaining excellent faculty and staff, providing employee professional development, funding library acquisitions and providing state-of-the-art resources to promote cutting-edge research and outreach activities.

 

Employees can direct their gifts to whatever department or program they choose, Roderick said. Four of every five Utah State students rely entirely on non-family financial assistance and about 70 percent work from half to full time.

 

“Devoting that amount of time to non-academic endeavors costs many of them opportunities for creative scholarship or research with faculty members that can lead directly to jobs and careers,” Roderick said.

 

The goal for the USU Family Campaign is to ensure that all 2,919 faculty and staff are made aware of USU's priority needs and have a full opportunity to donate, Roderick concluded.

 

About 30 percent of all USU employees currently donate, including 46 percent of faculty.

 

Employees are encouraged to contribute through payroll deduction and can do so online. Gifts can also be sent to USU Development, UMC 1421, or dropped off in Old Main, Room 106.

 

Five co-chairs lead the faculty/staff giving campaign: Janis Boettinger, past president of the Faculty Senate; Marsha Howell, president of the Professional Employee Association; Milt Johnson, past president of the Classified Employee Association; and Max and Karen Peterson, who lead a companion effort among retirees.