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Beginning with the graduating class of 2008, NAU officials in the Office of Advancement will be looking toward new graduates to become donators for tomorrow’s seniors.
The Senior Class Gift officially began at the end of February. The aim of the project is to raise money for the Senior Legacy Scholarship to be awarded to a senior in fall 2008.  The senior is decided upon by a group of three seniors and two juniors, who also will spend the remainder of this academic year helping to raise the $5,000 goal.
Anne Marie Mackler, a development coordinator with university advancement, said the gift came around as the ever-increasing cost of an education often leaves some students struggling for money.
“With only 30 to 40 percent of costs of school covered by tuition, philanthropy for young people is really up and coming,” Mackler said.
Already the gift has caught attention with school administrators. NAU President John D. Haeger has promised to match up to $2,500 for the scholarship.
Mackler said they hope to gain donations from graduating seniors by promising them they will be remembered for their contribution, with a plaque to eventually be hung in the Union.
“We really want to stress the whole idea of leaving a legacy,” Mackler said. “We want to create a culture of philanthropy and institutionalize generosity.”
Abraham Kelley, another coordinator in university advancement, said donations should come from students looking to make a difference in a place they spent four years of their life.
“We want students to pay it forward,” Kelley said. “We want to help set the bar for years to come.”
A pilot program for the senior gift already had a trial run in December. Mackler said 682 graduating seniors were contacted. Of those students, 21 donated or pledged to donate. The average donation was $30, which so far raised $275, with another $375 still to come in.
“Thus far, there has been a lot of enthusiasm,” Mackler said. “A lot of forward thinking, and we could not have gotten that amount without student input.”
The feedback was obtained by the student committee who, beginning in March, will begin to work booths at the Union to obtain donations.  The group represents various majors and student groups on campus, all with their own motivation for being involved in the inaugural gift.
“It’s cool to be a part of the project as it is just starting up,” said Nick Mueldener, a senior psychology and women’s studies major. “It’s a good way to help someone get to where you are.”
Charlene Radsack, a senior electrical engineering major, said she thinks in a sea of scholarships, one raised by students can help inspire students better than a scholarship from a faceless organization.
Although the committee is hopeful they can raise money, they do not ignore the idea that graduating students may be hesitant to donate, as they are just beginning to be fully independent.
“If you just started your career, then you’re going to have money,” Radsack said, referring to potential donors’ financial worries.
Radsack said a motivating factor could be to turn the process into a competition between university groups, where the winner is the lucky scholarship awardee.
Kelley said he hopes to mention to students that while a $35 donation can buy material goods, he hopes they can persuade them to leave something bigger.
“They can either spend $35 on a new pair of shoes or they can spend $35 on leaving a legacy,” Kelley said.
Other schools throughout the country have had senior gift programs for years.  Brian Daugherty, the executive director for the San Diego State University Fund, said while the fund has been going since officially 1911, it was not always prosperous.
“It’s only over the last five years, and especially the last two, that the fund has picked up significant attention and significant steam,” Daugherty said.
While the SDSU fund does not supply a scholarship,  it instead leaves monuments like an Aztec calendar or a Mediterranean garden.  And even without receiving a match of funds from the university president, SDSU is still successful in collecting money from the student body.
“We went from $13,000 raised to $33,000 raised,” Daugherty said. “It’s because of our innovative relationship with our associated student group, who will match up to $10,000.”
Daugherty said physical monuments are chosen over scholarships because of a lack of student support.
“They haven’t gotten behind the scholarship because they want something noticeable,” Daugherty said. “But with the scholarship, it’s a really easy gift and something you’re not accountable for upkeep.”
Elizabeth Medina, a junior elementary education major, said a scholarship can be noticeable, as it acts to inspire students that there are others out there willing to help with finishing a college education.
While the fate of the scholarship program may not be decided for years to come, Kelley said the hope is to create an endowment from that gift, one that can grow with interest and create not only a scholarship but other projects.
Mackler said regardless of results, the gift is about trying to forge bonds with future alumni.
“For most students, this will be their first formal philanthropy,” Mackler said. “We want to be working with alumni seconds before you actually become one.”
More more information about the scholarship, including requirements, visit www.nau.edu/seniorclassgift.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 5:59 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.