The season of giving is upon us. Across the SUNY system, we have begun our annual 30 Days of Giving campaign which highlights the many things our colleges and universities do to give back to their communities. With 1.4 million enrolled students, there is so much that SUNY can do with and for our fellow citizens. But with 3 million alumni and millions of citizens that feel the impact of SUNY near their homes and businesses, the annual Giving Tuesday is a day that they can give back as well and help bring a higher education to more students thanks to campus donation channels and the SUNY Impact Foundation.
Since its founding, the SUNY Impact Foundation‘s mission has been simple: expand access to excellence. Over the past year, the foundation has partnered with businesses, the philanthropic community, and individuals to establish new pathways to drive student success. Through innovative programs and initiatives, such as the SUNY Student Emergency Fund—a pilot program supporting students facing emergency situations that would otherwise hinder their ability to complete the semester—the foundation works to secure the education of the nearly 1.4 million students SUNY serves. Students recognize these efforts.
A University at Albany student recently told us that “Without the Student Emergency Fund, I would have had to drop out of school. Instead, I got the help I needed and finished strong, landing on the dean’s list for the first time in my life. Now I have my Bachelor of Science in Informatics and a great job where I will be transferred to a high-level tech position in six months. None of that would have been possible without this program. Without this program, I would have dropped out of school and would still be making minimum wage somewhere. Please give other students the same opportunity that I was given. It really does make all the difference.”
From the Impact Foundation to our individual campus foundations, anyone can step up to increase support to high-impact programs and initiatives like this. Giving Tuesday helps us raise awareness for these opportunities and get more people to lend support to help them grow and prosper.
This #GivingTuesday, you can join the SUNY Impact Foundation or any of our college and university foundations to be part of the movement to elevate SUNY’s students. The smallest donation can do big things to help students complete their degrees.
Regardless of the size of the gift, there are 1.4 million ways to thank you.
