Inaugural “G is for Giving” Annual Campaign Raises $20K for Student Scholarships

The University of Guam community in cooperation with the Foundation raised over $20,000 for its inaugural “G is for Giving” Campaign – an annual drive for scholarships for the students of the University of Guam. This month-long campaign which kicked off on Tuesday, November 28th, 2017, and lasted until December 31st, 2017, involved students, faculty, retired faculty, alumnae, and community members from Guam and the the US mainland to raise money for each of the University of Guam’s five college units and the UOG Athletics Program.

“Si Yu’os ma’åse’ to all those who generously gave to the UOG “G is for Giving” annual giving campaign,” stated University President Robert A. Underwood. “We look forward to even more success in the coming years as we build a stronger University and stronger community.”

Gifts ranged from $2 to $2,500. The largest individual donor was a professor living in the state of Washington. In fact, retired professors made up 30% of the total amount raised which will be used to increase a scholarship fund they established in 2010. The college unit that raised the most money was the School of Business and Public Administration (SBPA).

“If we could get our students closer to completing their studies – by helping in this way, we contribute to a public good that our island and region could benefit from,” said SBPA Dean Annette Taijeron Santos. “Our students are our future. We are so fortunate to have a vibrant and caring community at SBPA with strong connections to our business and government stakeholders.”

The School of Business and Public Administration is housed in the Jesus and Maria Eugenia Leon Guerrero Building – a building donated by the founders of the Bank of Guam and a continued supporter of University of Guam. For the G is for Giving campaign, the Bank of Guam marketing team conducted a training workshop attended by students who later set up donation collection tables on Giving Tuesday. From Giving Tuesday until December 31st, donations were collected on the UOG Endowment Foundation website, www.supportuog.org, through the mail, and in person, using “UOG Green” envelopes specifically ordered for the month.  

“The community came together to make this first, annual scholarship fundraising a success. We thank all of those who donated. As our student body grows, efforts like these become more and more critical to keep higher education on Guam growing along with it,” said Melanie Mendiola, Executive Director of the University of Guam Endowment Foundation.