In an effort to promote student philanthropy and community involvement, an anonymous trustee recently announced that he would match up to $10,000 annually of what students commit to the UCSD Student Foundation’s “I Pledge UCSD” campaign. Launched in late February, the campaign gives students the opportunity to donate five dollars per quarter to go toward scholarships for fellow students and gifts that will enhance student life at UCSD.
After attending the UCSD Student Foundation’s “I Pledge UCSD” campaign launch on Feb. 23 at the Faculty Club, the trustee decided that he would aid the student effort of raising funds, according to campaign organizers.
“He is so impressed with the desire of students to help themselves with scholarship fundraising,” said Marlene Shaver, UCSD Foundation director of information and financial services. “He isn’t someone who needs or wants a lot of recognition, but is someone who really cares about the quality of students and the research done [at this university].”
According to Shaver, the trustee announced his decision last month at the Faculty Club after the Student Foundation gave a report at a “roll-out” event that a number of campus leadership groups were invited to attend.
“The education students are getting here, even with the fee increases, is a remarkable value and better than most institutions of higher education,” Shaver said. “It’s important that students recognize it and give back, even if that means ever-so-slightly with five dollars per quarter.”
Laura Ginn, assistant corporate secretary of the UCSD Foundation, which oversees the Student Foundation, emphasized the importance of the “I Pledge” campaign, as well as the purpose of the UCSD Student Foundation as a whole.
“We want to let students know that this is a legitimate cause that will result, and already has, in student scholarships — that this will be a tradition in the coming years and something everyone will be proud to be a part of,” Ginn said.
The UCSD Student Foundation was created in 1999 with a $100,000 gift from UCSD alumni Marc and Patricia Brutten (classes of ’79 and ’83, respectively). It is overseen by Vice Chancellor of External Relations James M. Langley and the UCSD Foundation, a group of 50 prominent individuals who are chosen to manage the university’s endowment fund of over $200 million. The Student Foundation also works with the Alumni Association to get alumni involved in helping current UCSD students.
“It’s essential for students to know that their pledge money goes into the endowment, and we end up putting it back into the campus,” said Brandon Freeman, president of the UCSD Student Foundation. “We have given over $50,000 in scholarships, sometimes based on financial need, sometimes based on community involvement.”
Shaver stressed the importance of students involving themselves in the community.
“It is an endowment that students get to invest in and manage themselves,” Shaver said.
The UCSD Student Foundation will be holding a spring quarter barbecue on Library Walk at 11 a.m. on April 12. An information session on the Student Foundation will be held on the evening of April 15 in Peterson Hall.
