Alum Dan Karam '97, '01 initiates fundraising challenge to UTSA alumni
Dan Karam
Dan Karam
Share this Story(May 7, 2015) -- UTSA alumnus Dan Karam '97, '01 has initiated a fundraising challenge to encourage more alumni to donate to the university.
Karam will donate up to $25,000 to match all alumni gifts made to the university's colleges through May 11, resulting in at least $50,000 in funding for the university.
Like many alumni, Karam attended UTSA because he is from San Antonio and the university's tuition was within his budget. He earned a B.B.A. in Information Systems and a Master's of Science in Information Technology. Karam attributes his life today to the connections he made during his undergraduate and graduate years at UTSA.
"Personally, I would not be where I am today without the university. And for that, I love UTSA," said Karam. "I remember meeting one of my closest friends, Roberto. I was an IT major and he was an accounting major. We introduced our friends to each other and now, 18 years later, the eight of us are still friends. Some of us are even business partners."
Midway through the challenge, the university announced that five of Dan's UTSA friends would support his effort by offering to donate an additional $5,000 if at least 200 alumni participate in the challenge.
As the Chief Information Officer of MUY! Brands, Karam oversees the company's information technology strategy, architecture, support and governance. He oversees the technology for the company's restaurants, a 250-seat Pizza Hut Call Center, 52 above-store leaders and the company's Restaurant Support Center.
"I also met the love of my life, Heather, through a UTSA classmate. She and I have been married for more than 13 years and have three beautiful children together," said Karam.
Karam's appreciation for the relationships he made at UTSA and how they shaped his life led him to look for ways to pay it forward to future Roadrunners.
"I was surprised to learn that with more than 100,000 graduates, only about five percent make charitable gifts to the university," said Karam. "Before I became more engaged with UTSA, I honestly thought joining the Alumni Association was considered a donation. Now I realize that membership and gifts are different. Each year, our alumni giving rate impacts how UTSA is ranked. Alumni participation will eventually help determine if we'll reach top-tier status. I share that point with every student and alum I meet, so that they will give in addition to joining the Alumni Association."
To learn more about Dan Karam's alumni challenge, visit https://giving.utsa.edu/iloveutsa.-------------------------------
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