Invested in Each Other

Bob Daley ’55 and Michelle Hwang, a UD senior set to graduate May 8, met during the 2022 Stander Symposium. Hwang was presenting a research project that could save the University money while it advances campus sustainability efforts, and Daley was attending a Golden Flyer event. After 20 minutes of talking together, Daley exclaimed: “I wish we could sell stock in your future career because I would be an investor!”

Actually, Daley already is. As a University of Dayton donor recently inducted into the John Stuart Society and longtime volunteer, Daley consistently gives back to his alma mater. And it’s gifts like his that helped open the doors of UD to Hwang.

A first-generation college student, Hwang grew up in the Dayton area and never thought she would be able to afford to attend UD. She was actively making plans to enlist in the Marines or Air Force and was speaking to recruiters when she learned that she was selected to receive a Flyer Promise Scholarship. She smiled through the tears that arose as she shared her story.

That’s how much UD means to current Flyers, just like it did for UD alumni. Certainly, there have been some major changes along the way — Daley spoke of the School of Business Administration when it was housed in a Quonset hut left over from World War II use, and the union was a much smaller wood structure. However, when they spoke about their individual UD experiences, they could have been talking about the exact same moment.

Daley compared his experience at UD to that of his daughter’s experience at a large, public university. He visited her a lot, and especially enjoyed the experience of attending football games and other sports, but he had “no feeling of the friendliness and helpfulness of UD. The personal concern that is clear across the UD community.”

A look of recognition shone in Hwang’s eyes, replacing the tears, and she shared how her experience has mirrored his.

“The genuine interest, care and kindness are still very present on campus,” she said. “Like the professors are concerned with more than what happens in the classroom. They care about your experience in the community, too.”

That care encouraged both Flyers to become leaders on campus, even if they weren’t looking for that title.

“I don’t really feel like I became a leader; I feel like I got the opportunity to do certain things that benefitted this community and benefitted me. In the process, I accidentally became this role model or leader,” said Hwang, president of the National Society of Leadership and Success and active in several student organizations.

And Daley was junior and senior class president during his time at UD, and he talked about how his class debated what they should do for their class gift. “One of the main things we talked about was putting up a statue of Blessed Chaminade behind the Chapel. The other thing was a scholarship program. We never did get that statue up,” Daley chuckled. “But we do have a scholarship program.”

Based on the conversation between these two wonderful Flyers, the Class of ’55 definitely made the smart investment.

Record-setting Generosity

During April’s One Day, One Dayton — the most successful annual giving day in school history — 6,634 Flyers were inspired by nearly $850,000 in matching and challenge gifts to raise $2.2 million to support current and future Flyers.

“Campus was definitely excited for One Day, One Dayton,” said Jen Foster, executive director for UD’s Office of Annual Giving. “Watching our current students lead all classes in the number of gifts from the beginning of the day until midnight shows a real growth and understanding of what a vibrant culture of philanthropy at UD can do for our students and community.”

The day began with a $50,000 milestone gift established by Matt McNamara ’09, the youngest Flyer to establish a matching or challenge gift. McNamara said that he’d make his generous donation if 1,850 others would make a gift of any size by 10 a.m. The community responded by blowing past the milestone shortly after 9 a.m.

The goal for the day was 4,000 donors, and Larry ’76 and Rosemari Woerner offered a $100,000 gift if the community reached the goal by midnight. UD celebrated the achievement and learned that the matching gifts weren’t done for the day when two anonymous donors from the Class of ’68 announced that they would also support UD with a $100,000 gift if the community could reach 5,300 gifts before midnight. Their gift provided a lift to the late-day momentum and helped UD establish a record-breaking giving day.

Throughout the day, matching gifts also helped people make a bigger impact for the university they love. Margie ’68 and Bill ’68 Klesse led the way by offering matching gifts to support UD student-athletes, the School of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Overall, the Klesse’s matched $150,000 in Flyer gifts that day.

“Our supporters and advocates are amazing,” said Foster. “These are community leaders who understand the value UD has added to their lives and, more important, they are passionate about providing the same opportunities to current and future Flyers.”

Flyers from all 50 states supported UD on giving day. The largest percentage of supporters made their gift to the UD Fund, and many targeted their gift to a specific area that they wanted to support.

Dave ’75 and Julia ’76 Troppoli Yeager chose to assist Campus Ministry with a matching gift and a challenge gift. The Yeager’s challenged 250 people to donate to Campus Ministry, and when that challenge was met added $25,000. They also offered a matching gift of $25,000 that helped Campus Ministry raise nearly $90,000 during One Day, One Dayton.

Everywhere you turned on campus, you witnessed generosity and passion for UD community. In a specific effort to encourage new donors, one anonymous Flyer from the Class of ’69 created the New Crew Challenge with a $25,000 gift. This challenge set a goal of 500 new donors, and the UD community more than doubled it!

“We are so thankful for every single participant,” said Foster. “One Day, One Dayton capitalizes on this power of collective giving to further advance our Catholic, Marianist mission and empower our graduates to learn, lead and serve for life.”

One Day, One Dayton 2022 Milestone, Challenge and Matching Gift Donors:

Milestone and Unlocking Challenges
1850 Challenge: Matt McNamara ’09 — $50,000
4000 Challenge: Larry ’76 and Rosemari Woerner — $100,000
5300 Challenge: Anonymous ’68 and anonymous ’68 — $100,000
New Crew Challenge: Anonymous ’69 — $25,000
Just for Students Challenge: Anonymous ’15 — $15,000

Matching Gifts
Jane Dunwoodie — $10,000
Matt Lambiase ’88 — $10,000
Kathy ’68 and John McKeon ’68 — $15,000
UD Alumni Association Board — $25,000
Dave ’75 and Julia ’76 Troppoli Yeager — $25,000
Anonymous ’77 and anonymous ’78 — $30,000
Winsupply — $35,000
Margie ’68 and Bill Klesse ’68 — $150,000

Challenge Gifts
Kathy ’68 and John McKeon ’68 — $15,000
Lisa Rich-Milan ’85 — $10,000
Dave ’75 and Julia Troppoli Yeager ’76 — $25,000
Parent Leadership Council — $45,500
Anonymous ’77 and anonymous ’78 — $50,000
Engineering Advisory Council — $91,900

Listen. Learn. Lead.

Sharon Howard ’78, director of site communications for Premier Health, will be the next president of the University of Dayton Alumni Association.

Howard will lead the alumni association board of 17 who are working with the University in the community to support enhanced lifelong learning opportunities, business and personal networking, nationwide student recruitment, and Flyer fun through social gatherings and service events after graduation. Howard is taking the wheel from Jen Weed ’95, vice president for learning, competency and knowledge products at CalCPA.

“I hope to be able to continue the legacy of all of the previous presidents who came before me,” said Howard. “I hope to be able to partner with fellow members to continue to drive that bus down the street,” said Howard. “We want to make a big impact.”

UD has always been a part of her life — her father was an active alumnus, too. Prior to accepting this volunteer leadership role, Howard has served on Reunion Weekend committees and the alumni association board. She has also helped as a peer-to-peer ambassador and has brought her professional talent to volunteer for several special projects, most recently as the moderator for a popular panel featuring three University of Dayton presidents (Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M. ’64, Daniel J. Curran, and current President Eric F. Spina — watch the panel).

“Sharon is a dynamic professional communicator with a lifelong connection to UD,” said Anita Brothers, executive director of alumni relations and engagement. “Her leadership will be invaluable as we continue to build unity, and support and engage our entire Flyer family.”

Howard is especially hoping to welcome more diverse alumni to the table as they transition from students to active members of the alumni community.

“I think some people organically get that transition, but for some seniors, it’s not so organic. Sometimes you have to meet people where they are,” said Howard. “I would like to see the alumni base broaden across the spectrum. We have to make sure that we are doing everything we can to engage all of our alumni.”

One skill that helps Howard connect with people is active listening — a communication skill that was emphasized by Florence I. Wolff, a UD professor who had a reputation as being tough and demanding, but would become a mentor and friend to Howard.

“I had heard all of these horror stories about her. She’s hard. She’s relentless,” said Howard. But she ended up in Wolff’s class, and what did she find out? “She was relentless. She was hard. But oh my gosh was she good! To this day, I am disappointed that I missed two years of having the opportunity to take classes from her.”

As the next University of Dayton Alumni Association president, Howard will put those active listening skills to work as she helps guide UD and its alumni forward in community.

One Day to Impact UD in So Many Ways

The late dean of the School of Business Administration, John Mittelstaedt, was a true advocate for University of Dayton students. He led the call for One Day, One Dayton donations to the SBA Dean’s Fund for Excellence because the SBA was in great need of expanding its student advising center.

Growth had outpaced both staffing and space, and One Day, One Dayton funds helped the center move to a much larger room and prepare for increased staff, including career advisers. Mittelstaedt said that the space could assist an SBA student from their very first course to their first career, which is emblematic of UD’s efforts to help Flyers through every stage of their education — and growth beyond UD.

Mittelstaedt’s family, friends and colleagues knew that he would also want to support students with financial need as well as improve the advising center. The Dean John Mittelstaedt Memorial Scholarship was created before giving day 2021, and donations flowed in to endow the scholarship.

When you’re making your donation to UD this year on April 6 for One Day, One Dayton, you can choose the area you want to assist most, like a general fund which allows the University to meet immediate needs. Examples include the UD Fund or one of the Dean’s or VP’s Funds for Excellence. Or, if you want to have an impact on an individual student, you can choose to donate to any scholarship fund of your choice. Both methods of giving make a big difference.

During One Day, One Dayton in 2021, more than $800,000 was raised for UD scholarships. For Ashley Waker, a junior who plans to be a Catholic school teacher and intervention specialist, this meant help for her to continue excelling in her studies and extending her family’s UD tradition — she’s a fourth-generation Flyer.

Waker was a recipient of the Ruffolo Family Scholarship, and although she still works a job off campus and relies on student loans, she is thankful for how her scholarship is assisting with her education. “I’m so thankful for the Ruffolo Family Scholarship. Not only is the scholarship helping me now, but it’s keeping the balance of my student loans down, and I’m looking forward to being able to pay it forward sooner.”

Aaron Hendricks, a first-year mechanical engineering student whose career goals are to work for NASA or an automotive manufacturer, is the first person from his family to attend UD. In fact, he hadn’t even stepped on campus before he’d made his deposit and decided to attend thanks to the Blaser Family Scholarship.

“With my scholarship, UD became the most affordable option for me,” admitted Hendricks. “I didn’t know much about campus other than UD has an excellent engineering program.”

Since starting, he’s quickly come to call UD home. “As much as we like to joke about the word community at UD, it really is a collection of different people from different backgrounds and different cultures. And we all come together to form friendships and make connections … it is the definition of community.”

For these two students, scholarship giving has been life-changing, but it can be hard to visualize the impact you’re making with your gift.

Hendricks’ height, 6-foot-6-inch height prevents him from pursuing his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. But when you meet him, he definitely has all of the steely determination and poise of someone ready to head into space. Unshakable seems like an apt description. So, many who know him might be surprised by his reaction when he learned he had received the scholarship.

“I literally jumped up off the couch and started running around like a maniac. I called my mom and could barely say what happened,” said Hendricks. “Seeing that someone had decided to give me this scholarship has brought me and my mom so much joy. It hasn’t been easy, but this award has made my dream more attainable, and I can’t express in words how thankful I am.”

Ready for the Front Line

When University of Dayton physician assistant students step out of the classroom and into clinical rotations, they must be prepared. Donors during UD’s annual giving day — One Day, One Dayton — are helping.

“We have a lot of students who go into fields like emergency medicine,” said Lindsey Hammett, program director and chair of UD’s Master of Physician Assistant Practice program. “They are going to be our front-line providers when they graduate.”

How does UD ensure PA students are ready? Hammett gives great credit to the program’s use of high-fidelity mannequins. “They are basically advanced simulators that we use as patients for our students. It allows us to train for emergency situations,” she said. “We can simulate irregular heart rates, a heart attack, lung problems or any number of things that we can’t simulate with a person. They can also practice procedures, such as inserting chest tubes and starting arterial lines.”

Program graduate Alexis Kinch ’19 currently practices emergency medicine as a certified physician assistant in Dayton and agrees with Hammett. “The simulations were vital in putting together, in real time, the skills and knowledge I learned,” Kinch said. “It is a resource that I believe all students should be able to experience and learn from prior to clinical rotations.”

Unlike many other PA programs, UD uses the mannequins from the start of student instruction — and this brings results. “Doctors and physician assistants in the community have said for a long time that our students come out much more prepared than other PA students,” said Hammett. “They’ll even say that our PA students are a level above where medical residents are.”

Hammett and the other PA instructors are determined to maintain this level of training — but new mannequins are required to do so.

“Typically with these mannequins, their replacement interval is about five to seven years. The software is eventually no longer supported — and that limits what we can do,” Hammett said. “We have two mannequins, which we acquired in 2013 or 2014, so it’s time.”

The replacement cost is hefty — over $100,000 per mannequin — but, thanks to UD donors, the new mannequins are on the way. One Day, One Dayton gifts to the UD Fund have been allocated to the PA program to help with the cost.

“Our goal is to continue to have students truly prepared on their first day of clinical rotations,” said Hammett. “We can’t do that with outdated technology, so we are immensely grateful for this support.”

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, Dean’s 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.

Widening the Path to UD

In the fall of 2016, seven students were enrolled in the inaugural year of the UD Sinclair Academy. Maria Loyd ’19 was one of them. “The Academy was the best thing to ever happen to me,” she said. In fact, her experience helped inform her intended career path. “I have a passion for the UD Sinclair Academy and wish to work with transfer students one day,” she said. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs at UD to make it happen.

Loyd attributes much to the Academy, and she is certainly not alone. In fact, through fall 2021, 490 students have enrolled — a massive jump from the original cohort of seven — all gaining access to an affordable, seamless pathway from Sinclair Community College to the University of Dayton. 

Why such growth? A tremendous record of student success, innovative leadership and avid support from a handful of passionate donors have propelled the initiative forward. And, chances are, this is just the beginning.

Thanks to One Day, One Dayton donors, the UD Sinclair Academy is taking another huge step forward, hiring a director of recruitment and admission for community college partnerships. The position is completely funded through One Day, One Dayton donations — namely gifts to the UD Fund — and will enable the program to branch out in a dramatic way.

Beyond strengthening the already solid partnership with Sinclair and furthering the Academy’s reach across the greater Dayton region, the position will help initiate a similar partnership with Columbus State Community College, greatly opening access to the University of Dayton for Columbus-area students. 

“This position will help to build the pipeline of students for the new Columbus State Community College partnership, through collaborating with various Columbus-area school districts and college access organizations, along with connecting current Columbus State students to the program,” said Cody McMillen, executive director of recruitment and admission for transfer and strategic partnership programs. 

Thanks to the donor-funded position, McMillen and his team have ambitious goals for bringing more students like Loyd into the Academy and the Columbus State program, targeting both programs to account for 5% of new enrollments to UD in the fall of 2022. 

Overall, the University has seen a 100% increase in financial aid requests compared to pre-pandemic requests, so widening access through these programs and others is a top University priority — and our donors are proving to be reliable partners in this mission to open our doors to more students of great promise but limited financial resources. 

“The UD Sinclair Academy is truly changing lives in Dayton,” said McMillen. “We are excited to expand into Columbus and thank donors for helping us take that leap.”

Reunion Giving for Growth

Reunion Weekend at UD is a fun time. Fellow Flyers reminisce about days on campus and talk about anything and everything from favorite professors to the best restaurant on Brown Street. Throw in a little talk about politics and COVID-19, and some might end up wondering how they ever got along so well. Dialogue can help and, thanks to One Day, One Dayton donors, more students, faculty and staff are learning how.

The Dialogue Zone at the University of Dayton is all about developing skills and techniques that take us from challenging conversations and conflict to opportunities for understanding and growth. And, now in its third year on campus, the Dialogue Zone has been able to expand its efforts thanks to funding provided by some of the unrestricted giving to the Class Reunion Gift Fund.

Jason Combs ’96, coordinator of the Dialogue Zone, said the funds have been used to assist with the development of an ongoing cohort program to train dialogue facilitators. The funds also allowed them to hire a graduate assistant for the first time, which has been a big help for Combs, who is a faculty member in the Department of Communication. They hired Yana Crossland, a graduate assistant studying applied behavior analysis.

“Yana has enabled us to do things that we otherwise weren’t able to do,” said Combs. “She’s done a lot of needs assessment work for student organizations on campus and exploring their specific needs. What are they experiencing right now? What are some of the challenges? What are some of the conversations they would like to have but haven’t had either internally or with others on campus?”

From there, Combs said they have been working with the groups to develop a vision of how they can serve them. Having Crossland as a graduate assistant has been wonderful, and her work is already bearing fruit.

Crossland found her way to UD thanks to Flyer alumna Fiona Corner ’16, who is the assistant director for leadership and development at Central Washington University, where Crossland earned her undergraduate degree. Corner was Crossland’s adviser at CWU, and she connected Crossland with faculty and staff at UD.

During the past semester, Crossland has designed and facilitated dialogues while also performing a lot of marketing and communication work for the Dialogue Zone. She also participated in cohort that is being trained to facilitate more dialogues on campus. She’s definitely excited to see what the group of facilitators achieves on campus next year.

“Personally, dialogue has really helped me see people for the complexities that they are,” said Crossland. “It helps me think a lot less in terms of black and white about issues, and it leads me to learn why someone holds a specific opinion. A lot of dialogue is about becoming a better listener and understanding that everyone is complex. There are reasons why people believe the way that they do, and it’s OK to explore those reasons.”

And whether difficult conversations come up at work, church or Reunion Weekend, students who participate in Dialogue Zone events and training are bringing greater skills to lead us toward understanding. That is really a gift for all of our futures that comes from the generosity of alumni giving back to UD.

“I’m here because of an alumna,” said Crossland. “And I appreciate that alumni continue to invest back into opportunities like this during One Day, One Dayton so I can continue my journey professionally and personally.”