While momentum builds universitywide, the Nebraska Alumni Association has gone all-in in pursuit of the Chancellor’s Cup.
The friendly competition is part of the university’s participation in the Lincoln-area Combined Campaign for Health and Human Services. The university is a longtime participant in the community fundraiser and campus leaders have challenged faculty and staff to expand annual giving to the four-week campaign.
To encourage employee participation, weekly individual prizes are being awarded and the Chancellor’s Cup will be presented to two campus divisions (based on size) that earns the greatest percentage of employees who give.
Through two weeks of the community pledge drive, the Nebraska Alumni Center leads the small-group division with a 100 percent giving rate, with all 23 employees submitting pledges. In the large division, the Office of the Chancellor leads with a 17 percent pledge rate. The top five campus units on the division leaderboards are listed below.
Individual prize winners for week two, selected randomly from all faculty and staff who submitted donation pledges, are:
Monica Babcock, administrative technician, Sheldon Museum of Art, “N150 Dear Old Nebraska U” coffee table book;
Petronela Radu, professor of mathematics, Arts and Sciences, mini-volleyball autographed by John Cook, head coach of Husker volleyball; and
Joeth Zucco, senior project editor, University of Nebraska Press, ice cream for two at the Dairy Store.
Total giving through week two was $112,823, a 62 percent increase from week one. Five percent of all employees have participated.
Units are also encouraged to use creative ways to raise awareness about the campaign. Two ideas of note from week two include distribution of “Thanks for Giving” cards and treats by the College of Arts and Sciences and Husker POWER T-shirts for participants in Academic Affairs.
Chancellor Ronnie Green helped kick off the giving drive at an Oct. 23 pre-launch with faculty and staff volunteers. Green and his wife, Jane, pledged to increase their annual $5,000 gift to $10,000. He also announced a university goal to raise $400,000. Last year, faculty and staff combined pledged nearly $340,000.
The campaign continues through Nov. 27.
Co-chairs for the university’s Combined Campaign include Charlie Foster, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services; John Cook, head coach for Husker volleyball; and Tiffany Heng-Moss, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.
“Giving to the Combined Campaign works,” Foster said. “I’ve read to children at McPhee Elementary. I’ve seen Sudanese mothers and daughters interact in groups led by YWCA. And, I’ve seen families whose lives have been touched by the Malone Center.
“Your gifts are put to work making lives better.”
The Combined Campaign benefits three federations — Community Health Charities of Nebraska, Community Services Fund of Nebraska and United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County. The three federations represent more than 130 local agencies that assist members of the community.
Learn more about the Combined Campaign.
Combined Campaign Leaderboards (Week 2)
Percentages represent employees who have donated to the campaign
Small Units (fewer than 150 employees)
- Nebraska Alumni Association, 100 percent
- College of Law, 11.6 percent
- University Libraries, 11 percent
- College of Nursing, 5.3 percent
- College of Dentistry, 2.2 percent
Large Units (more than 150 employees)
- Office of the Chancellor, 16.1 percent
- Academic Affairs, 11.5 percent
- Research and Economic Development, 9 percent
- College of Education and Human Sciences, 8.5 percent
- NU Central Administration, 6.2 percent
