Regardless of the reasons, donations and gifts from faculty and staff are always welcome by the College of Education.
During the 2017-18 academic year, a total of 64 College of Education faculty and staff donated nearly $29,000 to COE programs.
“Most of the donations typically go to student scholarships and the Improving Futures Fund,” said Megan Beardsley, director of development for the College of Education and Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement. She donates to COE.
Donations to COE can be made through small payroll deductions, pledge gifts or one-time gifts. The funds are also used to send students to present at national conferences and start new centers and initiatives.
"Many faculty and staff contribute because they see a direct relationship between their contributions and the programs they most passionately wish to support,” said Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., former dean of the College of Education and new interim Provost for San Diego State University.
Johnson, who is a COE donor, established the Improving Futures Fund in 2014 to provide monetary support to COE’s faculty and staff endeavors that improve the future of the College’s graduates and of children, youth, and adults they will serve.
When faculty and staff donate to COE, they can specify the programs or initiatives they want to support and most do. When they make their donations, they are assured that their donations will go specifically to those programs or initiatives.
“I decided to give through a payroll deduction because it is pretty much painless. Spreading my donation amount out over the course of a full year allows me to give to the college without a huge impact to my take-home pay and I’m able to give to multiple college initiatives that have meaning for me,” said Dr. Lisa McCully, director of COE’s Office of Student Services. “Although I divide my donation among various initiatives, one of the programs near and dear to me was my master’s degree program in postsecondary educational leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs.”
Provost Johnson indicated many faculty and staff recognize the College of Education cannot depend on the state government to provide adequate support for innovative programs. Only 20 cents of every dollar spent at SDSU is provided by state dollars. Tuition provides another 20 cents.
“To ensure funding for quality programs, we need to creatively pursue grants, philanthropic support, or other public/private partnerships to help us continue to make a positive difference for our students and everyone our students will eventually serve,” Johnson said. “When we are able to show that so many of our College faculty and staff contribute to our programs, we demonstrate our commitment in a way that can be very compelling to potential granting agencies, sponsors or partners. College of Education faculty and staff have found that a little can go a long way.”
For more information on how you can donate, visit the College of Education website and click on Giving to COE.
