University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumna Cindy McCaffrey and her husband, Mick, have made a $4 million gift to establish a permanent endowment to support student workers in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Their gift to create the McCaffrey Student Success Fund is rooted in a shared belief in the power of education and the value of hard work. As students, both relied on campus jobs to pay their way. Cindy worked early mornings in the cafeteria, wrote for The Daily Nebraskan and interned at the Omaha World-Herald. Mick played basketball at Oklahoma State University on a scholarship and picked up odd jobs on campus.
“When I was a student at Nebraska, working on campus was essential in helping me afford my education,” Cindy said. “Student employment kept me grounded, connected, focused and gave me hands-on experience that directly shaped my career. Mick and I know how powerful that kind of support can be. We want today’s students to have those same chances: to learn by doing, earn a paycheck and understand that their contributions matter.”
Cindy, an Omaha native, graduated from Nebraska in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. After starting her career as a newspaper reporter, she moved into technology-focused communications roles at Apple, E*TRADE and 3DO. In 1999, she joined Google as one of its earliest employees and served as vice president of corporate marketing. She helped shape the company’s global brand and stepped down following its initial public offering in 2005.
Mick earned a degree in marketing from Oklahoma State in 1975. After holding sales positions in the Midwest, he shifted to technology roles in California. He worked in engineering and quality assurance for Yahoo and other emerging software companies. While Cindy focused on communications, Mick built his career on the technical side of Silicon Valley’s growing tech sector.
“It feels incredibly meaningful to come full circle,” Cindy said. “To go from being a student worker who needed that job to someone who can now help make those jobs possible. It’s a privilege to contribute to the success of both students and the college community as a whole."
The McCaffreys, who live in Tiburon, California, made the gift through the University of Nebraska Foundation.
“The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is incredibly grateful to the McCaffreys for their investment in student success,” Chancellor Rodney D. Bennett said. “Their generosity will help to ensure that numerous students can focus more acutely on their UNL education and are best positioned to contribute immediately to communities across Nebraska and beyond following their graduation.”
Cindy said she chose to attend Nebraska because it had a strong journalism program and was affordable through student employment.
This is not the McCaffreys’ first investment in student success. In 2013, Cindy established the McCaffrey Emerging Media Scholarship to support students studying journalism and technology. The scholarship continues to support students with a secondary major or minor in a tech-related field.
The McCaffreys also made a $145,000 gift to support the college’s student positions during the 2024-25 academic year after learning the funding was in jeopardy. That one-time gift supported 66 student workers, helping them stay enrolled, pay rent and focus on their academic experience.
Over the following year, the college stayed in close contact with the McCaffreys, sharing stories about the students their gift had helped. After meeting with Shari Veil, Jane T. Olson Endowed Dean of Journalism and Mass Communications, in California this summer, Cindy and Mick committed to a $4 million gift to create a permanent endowment to fund the college’s student jobs in perpetuity.
“This is a gift that invests in people and potential,” Veil said. “Cindy and Mick are helping students stay in school, grow professionally and thrive as part of our community.”
The McCaffrey Student Success Fund will support roles that put students at the center of college life: mentoring first-year peers, leading campus tours, supporting classroom instruction, staffing the front desk and assisting with software and equipment in the design labs. These jobs offer purpose, structure and hands-on experience that shape how students show up in class and in their careers.
Cindy said she hopes the fund helps students prepare for life beyond graduation.
“We hope it will help students stay enrolled, reduce financial stress and allow them to focus more on learning and less on how they’ll pay next month’s bills,” she said. “But beyond that, it gives them purpose, and creates space for discovery, connection and growth. I know from experience that these jobs help build the confidence and professional skills that students will carry forward in their lives and careers.”
The McCaffreys’ gift supports Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to engage 150,000 unique benefactors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. The campaign’s top priority is student access and success to ensure a University of Nebraska education is affordable and achievable for every student.
"My part-time position as a peer mentor provided me not only with invaluable professional experience, but also with the financial means to support my college journey," said Macy Neumeister, a student worker who graduate in 2023. "It eased the burden of tuition fees and living expenses, allowing me to focus more on my studies and less on financial stress."
For Cindy, giving back is personal.
“It’s our way of saying thank you,” she said. “Knowing that 66 students benefited last year alone is the best feeling in the world.”
