The Importance of Giving

Lately I have been having a lot of moments where I stop and pause to think about the past four years at William & Mary. I find myself slowing down when I walk to and from class, pausing to notice little treasures about the College that once seemed unimportant. Have you ever noticed that there is a bed of tulips walking into the Sunken Garden where the willow tree fell, did you know that the echo wall can be used by two people at once, or that the portraits in the Great Hall of Wren are former presidents?

So many little things about William & Mary that we, as seniors, still don’t even know – and that is the beauty of our college. To each individual the College represents something else; a special place where you’ve grown into the person you’ve always wanted to be, a place of hardships and frustrations that only worked out in the end, strictly an academic institution where you chose to sped the past four years, and the list goes on.

Something pressing on my heart recently is the idea of philanthropy and the value of giving at William & Mary. Without philanthropy so many of the little treasures at the College that make it so unique would cease to exist. With less than 13% of our operating budget being state sponsored, the College is heavily dependent upon private donors to sustain its successful programs. People praise the community that is so strong here at the College, but the community will only remain strong if we, as friends, family and alumni of the College invest in its well being.

When I first came to William & Mary I thought it would be crazy to donate anything above the sum that the financial office asked for tuition. It seemed ludicrous that anyone would want to give back to the College after paying so much money to simply attend.

Over the course of the past four years, I have seen first-hand the impact of private giving and the importance of participating in philanthropy. In cultivating a community, all members must be engaged and participating in some capacity. So much value can be derived from even a small donation; time or money. Clubs, organizations, academic facilities, staff, genuinely every subset of campus benefits.

The prestige, recognition and value derived from a degree at William & Mary is directly correlated with the opportunity that we, as students, have . The culture of academic excellence, vibrant engagement and immense student participation can all be attributed to the experiences that we have as a result of the private monies that we have given.

Just as we have a responsibility to change the world with our education, I believe that we should be accountable to those students behind us who deserve to have the same incredible opportunities that we have had at William & Mary.

For those of you who are seniors, please consider donating to the Senior Class Gift today!