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Alumni and Friends Making an Impact

Trust in UD

When you give to the University of Dayton, you have a choice. What program, scholarship or initiative will you support? You can make that decision — or pass it along to the University, through an unrestricted gift.

When you make such a gift to the UD Fund, Deans’ Funds for Excellence, Parents’ Fund or Class Reunion Gift Fund, you provide spending flexibility, enabling the University to address areas of most need in service of our Catholic, Marianist mission.

Unrestricted giving is vital to the strength and growth of every university. However, nationally, this type of philanthropy has been declining for decades. Thanks to our donors, the University of Dayton is bucking that trend, with unrestricted dollars and donors increasing, year after year.

Why the increase? Let’s ask our donors.

Former Ohio governor and current UD faculty member Bob Taft has continually supported various UD programs and initiatives over the years but gave to the UD Fund for the first time last year. “UD’s leaders need flexibility to meet the evolving needs of students, their parents, and faculty and staff,” he said.

Taft joins a litany of longtime unrestricted fund donors, including Mike Rizer ’82, who has been giving to the UD Fund since 1994. Rizer said, “I have consistently given to the UD Fund because I trust that my dollars will be used to ensure students who would otherwise be unable to attend UD will receive a quality education that will enable them to lead with values in a complex world.”

Rizer’s trust is well placed. Executive Vice President for Business and Administrative Services Andy Horner said, “Perhaps the most notable impact of this increased support is how it is helping us make a University of Dayton education more affordable for students in greatest financial need.”

In fact, at the end of FY21, over $2.5 million of UD Fund gifts went toward scholarships and financial aid, and excellence funds added to that total. Unrestricted funds also supported hands-on learning experiences, internship and research opportunities, academic assistance, student health and well-being, faith-based student programming, and curriculum enhancements, showing the University’s intention to directly support students with unrestricted gifts.

The choice is yours — and gifts to every fund make a difference. But know that if you leave the choice to UD, your support goes right where it should: to our students.

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