« Back
By John Boccacino ’03
The Syracuse University community rallied together to support student scholarships during Boost the ’Cuse, Syracuse University’s fourth annual giving day.
The preliminary #BoostCuse results are in: on Oct. 1, during a 24-hour span, 3,514 donors gave $903,260 towards student scholarships and student initiatives. Those numbers are rising, as the Boost the ’Cuse team counts additional gifts that were made offline.
Thanks to your generosity, our giving day efforts far surpassed our goal of 2,024 donors for student support and scholarships, a figure that was set to honor this year’s incoming Class of 2024.
“If it wasn’t for these donors, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, having these great experiences and getting a terrific education at Syracuse. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to study abroad in Hong Kong. I’m very grateful for our alumni donors,” says Brian Bauer ’22, an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a cadet in the Army ROTC at Syracuse University.
Gifts came in from 47 states and several countries around the world as our alumni, students, faculty and staff demonstrated that when you #BoostCuse, you boost the student experience, the impact of a Syracuse degree and the futures of current students.
Dibya Patnaik ’21 is studying supply chain management and entrepreneurship in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Patanik is the beneficiary of a Whitman Leadership scholarship, which played a large role in her decision to attend Syracuse.
“That scholarship was a game-changer. It’s great that the Syracuse University alumni community is so willing to give back to current students. These gifts instill in me that philanthropic spirit. When I graduate, I want to be that person who helps someone else out,” says Patnaik ’21, co-president of the Forever Orange Student Alumni Council.
Donors were able to choose from a variety of donor-supported funds, including those specific to a school, college, athletics or affinity program, those providing assistance to diverse populations, and our general scholarship fund that supports a broad range of student needs. Whether $1 or $10,000, every gift mattered.
A first-generation college student, Ashley Collado ’22 is pursuing a policy studies major in Maxwell. Knowing that alumni and members of the Syracuse community she’s never met are willing to support current students to ensure they have access to a world-class education makes Collado feel grateful for the Orange network.
“It’s all part of the Orange family and the Orange spirit. We’re all in this together and we’re all here to help each other reach our goals. Gifts from our alumni give me hope that I can achieve great things,” Collado says.
Current students and young alumni dominated the graduation year leaderboard. Donors from the classes of 2021, 2024, 2015, 2020 and 2018 held the top five spots for most gifts made.
The funds that garnered the highest number of donors were the Black & Hispanic Undergraduate Scholarship, Men’s Crew, the Annual Fund, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Dean’s Fund and the General Scholarship Fund.
Together, the Orange community celebrated what it means to be Orange by supporting our giving day efforts.