This summer, the university announced a five-year $100 million fundraising campaign, targeted at alumni and friends of the university, developed through the Office of Institutional Advancement and the Board of Trustees.
The fundraising effort was announced along with the university’s base tuition freeze for this fiscal year. The money raised in the campaign is to be funneled back into the university’s endowment and into student financial aid.
The Temple News supports this campaign as it continues to address the problem of student debt that the current generation of students face. Instead of raising its tuition this year like many universities across the country, Temple kept its base rate level at $13,006 and $22,832 for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively. Through the fundraising campaign, the university shows that it is working to make an education on North Broad Street affordable and accessible.
The campaign is also utilizing the prominence of university alumni, including Bill Cosby. The campaign plans to use videos from Cosby to distribute online in support of the campaign. David Unruh, senior vice president of institutional advancement, said that Cosby called Acting President Englert and Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick O’Connor pledging his support to the campaign. This action from Cosby shows that the campaign has already started reaching its target of alumni and friends of the university.
By involving and engaging alumni such as Cosby, the university will undoubtedly draw more of an interest in the campaign than simply announcing the fundraiser. The use of alumni also puts a face on the campaign that would normally be absent.
All of this comes in addition to the $8 million already added into the financial aid budget for this year. While The Temple News understands the constraints that come with cutting back the budget and lessening the financial burden on students, it fully supports the fundraising campaign and its potential impact on students’ wallets.
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