Welcome home, Badgers! The start of each year begins with a moment of reflection as we ponder what the new school year will bring.
As freshmen settle into their dorm rooms, their minds are drifting off, exploring the burning questions S.O.A.R. left unanswered: Where will I go for my first party? How will I know where the parties are? Will upperclassmen know that I am a freshman?
By contrast, upperclassmen are grappling with only one question: How can I keep the freshmen from coming to my party?
Well everyone, I am sorry to say I will not be giving you advice on these topics. Freshmen will have to figure this stuff out the same way we all did–by making complete fools of themselves. And upperclassmen–be nice to the na?ve freshmen. You too once traveled in a pack of ten looking for someone to take you in.
While Madison does admittedly have quite the reputation as a party school, the real reason we are here is to obtain a world-class education from a top-notch university. I would like to take this opportunity to educate you on a subject too few students (even upperclassmen) on this campus understand to show you how philanthropy plays a vital role in enriching the quality of education at UW-Madison. We as students should feel a sense of pride and gratitude because of it.
To appreciate the way the generosity of others impacts us as students, it is important to understand exactly what is meant by philanthropy and how it transforms campus. Let’s start with some fun facts and statistics. UW-Madison has an operating budget of about $2.4 billion. That covers everything from professor salaries to research, along with technology updates and materials for classrooms. Of that, an astounding 20 percent comes from private support. That includes anything from $50 from an alum to a multi-million dollar gift from a major donor. To put that into perspective, that is the same portion of the budget provided by the state, whereas tuition covers only 15 percent.
Without private support, UW-Madison would have to tighten its belt and make do. This would mean eliminating some programs, reducing enrollment, losing key professors to other universities and a significant reduction in student scholarships. The alternative that would resonate most strongly with students is that the university could choose to maintain the same level of excellence by increasing tuition. This would make the cost of attendance utterly unmanageable for many current students. Part of the allure of earning a degree from UW-Madison is the low price of receiving a first-rate education.
Even out-of-state students who pay a significantly higher amount get a great value for their degree. This is evident when you consider that some of our peer institutions like Boston College and New York University boast similar rankings but charge upwards of $30,000 for attendance. This shows that from an economic standpoint, private support is vital to the preservation of the Madison experience.
However, to know the true impact of private support, you have to look beyond the monetary value and to the people who give. Those who give back to UW-Madison really care about you as a student. They are alumni and friends of the UW. They have fond memories of tailgating on football Saturdays, breaking a sweat while trudging up Bascom, and socializing on the terrace. They were the movers and shakers of their time; they stormed the streets with anti-war protests, demanded more rigorous courses by petitioning for an Honors Program and even started this newspaper as an alternate voice. They understand your struggle to study for exams while balancing extra curricular activities and work. They know what it’s like to be you because they were you. Now they want to reflect on their experience by giving back–by supporting you!
Last year roughly 75,000 people, most of them alumni, made a donation to the university. This should fill you with pride and hope. To ignore or remain apathetic to this fact is to let them down–all 75,000 of them.
So Badgers, as you don your red this fall, take a little time to think about everything that fell into place for you to be here. A lot of it was your own hard work, yet it is very rare that we succeed in life without some assistance from others. Whether it was your high school English teacher who pushed you or your parents who supported you emotionally and even financially, someone helped you arrive at this monumental juncture. This same principle applies as you journey forward into the next phases of your college years and it is something to always be cognizant of.
Holly Hartung ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism. She has worked for the UW Foundation for two years.
