Student researchers work in the Margie & Bill Klesse Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Laboratory.
APRIL 1, 2024 — UTSA will host its fourth annual UTSA Giving Day on April 9 and 10 to raise funds for student success initiatives including career-readiness programs, experiential learning opportunities, research and discovery efforts, and overall program support across the entire university.
UTSA Giving Day originally launched in 2021 as part of Be Bold: A Campaign for Our Future, the largest fundraising campaign in university history. Be Bold has raised more than $380 million from over 46,000 donors across 22 countries.
Since its launch, UTSA Giving Day has raised $1.7 million from 6,268 unique donors; of these, 2,577 have been alumni. The fundraising event’s annual tagline, Build the Nest, brings attention to UTSA’s goal to rally its entire community in supporting university programs for current and future generations of students. Each year, gifts have been secured from across all 50 states, underscoring remarkable nationwide alumni and donor support for the university.
“I am immensely grateful to our incredible donors, ambassadors and champions who, year after year, make UTSA Giving Day such a huge success,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “The results of this campaign affirm our community’s commitment to preparing career-ready Roadrunners who go out into the professional workforce to significantly build the economic impact of our city and state while solving grand challenges that change the world.”
UTSA Giving Day will take place over 1,969 minutes—or 32 hours, 49 minutes—in honor of the university’s founding year. The online fundraising event begins at 10:11 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, April 9 and concludes at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. This year’s event will feature a video game theme meant to build energy and fun competition among supporters as they encourage gifts to “level up” university programs. All students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are invited to support their favorite colleges and programs.
“Every year, UTSA Giving Day proves to be a phenomenal campaign that generates support from across the country,” said Karl Miller Lugo, UTSA vice president for advancement and alumni engagement. “This high level of engagement speaks volumes about the affinity our alumni and donors have for UTSA, and their belief in the future our university. I am grateful to the more than 6,000 donors who have supported UTSA Giving Day in past years. As we approach this year’s campaign, I encourage the UTSA and San Antonio communities to consider supporting our outstanding students.”
Over the years, many UTSA programs have highly benefitted from the campaign.
The Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design has raised thousands of dollars for the college’s Student Success Center, which supports tutoring, professional development, student organizations and activities that prepare students for success in the classroom and in their careers. In addition, the college has enhanced scholarship support and student conference travel.
The Klesse College Ambassador Program, which rewards students with stipends to serve as college leaders at university events and/or mentors for high school students and requires 65 hours of community service, has also benefitted.
UTSA Athletics has also leveraged UTSA Giving Day to strengthen the Roadrunner Athletic Fund (RAF), which generates support for student-athlete scholarships to cover tuition, housing, travel expenses, meals on game days, medical care and career preparation programming.
UTSA Athletics is also able to continuously upgrade medical equipment and weights, and provide diverse options for workouts, recovery and therapy. In addition, funds from the Giving Day campaign have supported the student-athlete affairs department, which brings in professionals to teach financial literacy, resume writing and interview preparation. The department also coordinates career fairs and networking events.
“The support that UTSA Athletics garners from UTSA Giving Day is phenomenal and transcends the dollars raised. It highlights the immense support that our fans, alumni and donor community have for our remarkable student-athletes and their success beyond graduation,” said Lisa Campos, UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “I am so pleased to see the ongoing success of this campaign and to know that our talented student-athletes are some of the direct beneficiaries.”
Campaign supporters who assume the role of challenge donors also play a key role in amplifying the success of the campaign. Some of the university’s most generous donors including John Richardson and Jan Puckett, Margie andBill Klesse, and April Ancira ’03 have donated thousands of dollars toward the campaign over the years. The top fundraising groups on campus have received their generous gifts as incentives, catalyzing efforts to increase the overall impact of UTSA Giving Day.
“I want to thank the thousands of donors who have supported UTSA Giving Day over the years,” said Zachary Nepote, UTSA Student Government Association president. “Their generosity has supported critical student success and scholarship programs that have helped first-gen students like me and thousands of others. I can’t even emphasize enough just how much this type of support alleviates barriers for higher education and hope UTSA Giving Day 2024 proves to be just as impactful.”
UTSA Giving Day progress will be tracked on the 2024 website and will include dollars raised for each participating program as well as the goal to receive gifts from every state in the nation. Colleges and projects will compete to receive additional funding for their efforts to raise dollars and donors. Dozens of challenges and generous matching opportunities are expected to be available again to enhance the impact of individual donations.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The Secular Student Alliance is proud to present guest speaker Dave Troiano, Board Secretary for the Greater Houston Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This event will emphasize how reproductive health care is intertwined with separation of church and state.
Student Union, Willow (2.02.12)This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
