Collective pride of JMU students does not translate to donations
Private giving is important to JMU.
Don’t believe me? Take a look around campus and you will see the dollars of generous donors at work. Their money brings JMU to life in several ways, taking the form of scholarships, successful athletic teams and superb academic programs. In fact, your experience at Madison is in some way affected by private giving.
However, recent budget cuts on the state level have slashed university funding across the state, and the slack is being picked up in part by private donors who want to ensure that the Madison experience remains for future students.
Here’s the problem: JMU graduates do not give back on the same level as other universities. In fact, our endowment, which is a good litmus test for the financial health of a university, is lower than you might think. As you can see, it’s considerably lower than the funds received by the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech — it also falls short of the endowments of Old Dominion University, George Mason University and Bridgewater College. In 2007, our endowment was ranked 526 out of 785.
In 2006, only 11 percent of JMU grads gave back on an annual basis. Compare that to Washington and Lee’s rate of 49 percent and UVA’s 28 percent. This does not bode well for our university’s financial future, and it hurts our college rankings. Alumni giving rates are a part of the grading scale used by many prominent rankings services like the Princeton Review.
As you can see, we have a problem. The good news is that it’s not an inevitable problem, but one that students as well as alumni can and must take action to correct. As a student, you can start your tradition of giving with the Madison Student Giving Campaign. Students can now designate gifts to the funds of their choice, including, but not limited to, the Marching Royal Dukes, athletics, scholarships and any of our major programs.
Around campus, you may have seen flyers for the “Have You?” campaign. This is a question that has been asked on behalf of the university: Have you made your donation yet? Have you been a part of making JMU a better place?
Giving back is a reflection of the pride that you have vested at JMU. According to the Princeton Review, 92 percent of students remain at JMU after their freshman year, a figure relatively high compared to other Virginia schools. What does that tell us? We have pride at Madison. If you claim to have pride for JMU, then prove it by investing in its future.
If you’re an underclassman, you should feel obliged to start your tradition today. If you’re a senior, it is your duty to ensure the financial stability of your university before you leave it.
JMU is under-funded when compared with our fellow institutions of higher learning, yet we are meeting – even exceeding – their academic excellence. To put it simply, we are doing more with less. Just imagine what our university and students could do if we were adequately funded.
Remember that it’s not how much you give, it’s the fact that you give. So I’ll leave you with one last question: have you?
David Centofante is a senior justice studies major.
