Chalk messages and signs have appeared on the Quad this week as Syracuse University’s Student Philanthropy Council worked to educate students about philanthropy.

Thursday marks the day when the academic year is 85 percent complete. It’s significant because 85 percent of the cost of running SU is covered by tuition, and room and board funds, said Helene Kahn, development associate in SU’s Office of Development. The other 15 percent is covered by the gifts from alumni and friends of the university. Symbolically, this is the day philanthropy kicks in, Kahn said.

The SU Student Philanthropy Council has been passing out pamphlets and decorating the Quad with messages in chalk this week to educate students about philanthropy. The event’s purpose is not to raise more funds, but to inform students of the importance of alumni donations and help students learn more about those who have donated to campus, Kahn said.

Every student benefits from the gifts of others, Kahn said.

‘These gifts don’t just come out of the blue, these scholarships don’t just come out of the blue,’ she said.

The past year has been filled with major donations to SU, including Howard and Louise Phanstiel’s gift of $20 million to establish a scholarship fund; John and Patty Reilly’s gift of $3.5 million to build a day care center on South Campus; and David and Rhonda Falk’s gift of $15 million, part of which will go toward relocating the College of Human Ecology to the College of Law building.

SU is also in the final 17 months of its billion-dollar campaign, Kahn said. The campaign aims to raise $1 billion by the end of 2012.

Small donations are also significant, Kahn said. In 2010, gifts less than $100 combined to a total of almost $1 million, and they totaled more than $1 million in 2009, Kahn said. Kahn, who graduated from SU in 2010, said she hoped students would keep this generosity in mind when they become alumni.

A website for the council will launch Thursday and will help students learn about donating to the university, said Chelsea Damberg, a member of the council and junior broadcast journalism and policy studies major. The site will include a message board where students can post thank you messages to alumni who have donated.

Damberg said she plans to donate to SU both as a student and as an alumna.

‘It’s how you leave your mark on the university,’ Damberg said about the importance of donations.

Zach Fisher, a member of the Student Philanthropy Council and a senior broadcast journalism major, has helped this week to educate students about philanthropy by handing out pamphlets with facts about how the university is funded.

‘Without gifts from alumni, tuition would be at least 15 percent higher,’ said Fisher, who plans to donate when he is an alumnus.

Fisher joined the philanthropy council when it formed in the fall as an opportunity to connect with alumni and find out more about who gives back to their alma mater. He met the Phanstiels earlier this year and said they were a couple who were ‘truly happy to give back’ and share their success.

But Fisher also said not every gift needs to be large.

Said Fisher: ‘Whether the gift is $20 million or $20, it’s the thought that giving back will be an opportunity to help succeed.’

dkmcbrid@syr.edu

Published on April 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride