GREENEVILLE – When Tusculum University alumni reflect on their days as students, they are sure to remember a faculty or staff member or a coach who put them on the path for career success or positively influenced their personal development.
Tusculum encourages people to participate in Day of Giving.
Now is an excellent time to say thanks and express how meaningful this faculty or staff member or coach has been and support Tusculum financially in the process. That opportunity will come when Tusculum holds its annual Day of Giving Tuesday, April 14. The event is called “Praise a Pioneer.”
“One of the greatest gifts of college is meeting the people who believed in you before you believed in yourself,” said Tiffany Greer, Tusculum’s vice president of institutional advancement. “‘Praise a Pioneer’ is a small but important way to thank those mentors by sharing the story of their impact and making a donation in their honor.”
Day of Giving is not limited to alumni participation. Community members and family members of current students are invited and encouraged to recognize Tusculum employees they have seen make a difference. Another option is for someone to praise a current student.
Helping Day of a Giving become an even greater success is Dr. Scott Niswonger, a 1987 Tusculum graduate, a 30-year member of the university’s Board of Trustees and a highly successful businessman, who has generously and repeatedly supported the university financially on multiple fronts. For every dollar the university receives up to $80,000 on Day of Giving, Dr. Niswonger will match it.
“We are extremely grateful to Dr. Niswonger for his continuing support of Tusculum University and for offering this generous matching gift,” Greer said. “His leadership not only amplifies the impact of every donation but also inspires our community to come together in support of student success and Tusculum’s future. His philanthropy and others’ donations will have a synergistic effect and multiply the impact.”
Here is how the process will work. Alumni and community members go to https://iasite.tusculum.edu/day-of-giving/ and share their story about a faculty or staff member, coach or student they would like to celebrate. On that same form, they will be able to choose the level of the gift they would like to make to Tusculum.
The messages donors leave when they make their donations will be shared in different manners depending on the size of the gift. For example, the message will be placed on a digital praise wall accessible at https://iasite.tusculum.edu/day-of-giving/ and the honored individual will receive an email with the message when someone donates $50. For someone who gives $150, the donor will also be recognized on the Day of Giving web page donor list.
Tiffany Greer
Tusculum is offering other gift levels as well. Complete details about the giving levels and the rewards that flow from donations are available on that web page. Those who would prefer to share their stories and make their donation verbally rather than writing them on the web form can call 423-636-7407 and speak to one of Tusculum’s current students or a member of the Alumni Executive Board.
Donors are welcome to discuss a faculty or staff member or coach who is currently employed at the university. But they are also invited to explore the past and remember employees who have retired or passed away or perhaps pursued a different path in their career.
“Behind every graduate stands someone who gave their time, wisdom and encouragement,” Greer said. “The same applies to today’s students, who are benefiting from the one-on-one approach to education that we hold dear. Day of Giving enables alumni and community members to display the power of gratitude. Every gift reflects appreciation for the people and experiences that have changed lives and ensures those opportunities continue for future generations.”
All donations made on Day of Giving will go to the Tusculum Fund, which is the university’s annual giving program that moves us beyond what tuition provides and supports day-to-day excellence. The donations will help the university achieve its mission of equipping students in a caring Christian environment to be career-ready, civically engaged professionals through active and experiential learning.
Tusculum encourages people to begin thinking about the university employees who have stood out and be ready for Day of Giving.
“Whenever I talk to alumni, I hear that their alma mater prepared them well for their lives after graduation,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “I also hear regularly from community members about the value of hiring Tusculum graduates and positive ways the university enhances the quality of life in our region. The innovative approach our Office of Institutional Advancement is using to highlight faculty and staff members and their connections to others is wise because our employees’ commitment to students is what makes Tusculum an ideal place to study.”
Anyone with additional questions can email Greer at tgreer@tusculum.edu or call Institutional Advancement at 423-636-7303. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.