Second annual 'Together, We Are UTSA' faculty and staff initiative starts April 1

UTSA faculty and staff members

By Quinn Barraza
Director of Annual Giving, Office of Advancement Services

(March 31, 2011)--April is right around the corner and with it comes the second annual "Together, We Are UTSA" faculty and staff Initiative, a Tri-Campus fund-raising effort to encourage faculty and staff to make a personal contribution to the university.

Launched by the UTSA Office of Annual Giving in 2010, the first "Together, We Are UTSA" initiative was hugely successful, raising more than $25,000 in gifts and pledges from faculty and staff.

"I'm continually inspired by the generosity and dedication of our faculty and staff," said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. "We are very fortunate to have so many caring members of the UTSA community who view their role as more than just a job and are willing to make a gift to support UTSA and its students."

While state appropriations and tuition help the university to cover its basic expenses, these sources account for only two-thirds of the university's budget each year. Funding from other sources -- including gifts from individual donors, corporations, foundations and the like -- provide a vital source of funding not available elsewhere. As such, gifts play a critical role in allowing the university to maintain excellence in teaching, learning and research, and propel UTSA toward Tier One status.

Similar to programs at other major universities across the country, "Together, We Are UTSA" provides faculty and staff an opportunity to give where they work, demonstrating with giving their pride in UTSA and how far it has come in its short history.

"Just like we tell alumni, every gift is a vote of confidence in UTSA," said Genevieve Lopez, assistant director of annual giving. "It's not about the size of the gift; it's about believing in what we do at UTSA. It's about participating in something important."

With participation as the initiative's primary focus, gifts of any size are welcome and can be directed to any area of the university.

For easy "set-it-and-forget-it" giving, faculty and staff can make gifts by payroll deduction, check, cash or with credit card via UTSA's safe-and-secure online giving website.

>> To make a gift or learn more, visit the "Together, We Are UTSA" website.

For more information about this and other annual fund-raising initiatives, contact the UTSA Office of Annual Giving at 210-458-4130.