Faculty travel and Greg upgrades receive $20,000 each
The Cor Challenge has once again been successful in raising funds for the University of Dallas, this year running from Mar. 25 to Mar. 27. An initiative centered around encouraging alumni to give back to their alma mater through the Cor Fund and the Challenge Fund, the Cor Challenge has generated a significant amount of financial support for UD throughout the years.
This year’s goal for the Cor Fund was $200,000. The team raised more than $250,000, plus an additional $75,000 for the Challenge Fund. The Challenge Fund was introduced this year, allowing donors to vote on what cause they want to support.
Kevin Grillot, director of stewardship, led the distribution side of the effort. He said, “There’s an important understanding that your experience of small class sizes, brilliant professors and a joyful community distinctive from pretty much anywhere else is delivered because people support the University of Dallas.”
For the Cor Challenge Fund this year, there were six options for donors to choose from, including an updated Forno, a digital Hall of Fame for Athletics, funding for mission trips and increased resources and opportunities for the Yasmin-Gupta College of Business. The percentage of votes received towards each cause will directly correlate with the percentage they receive from the Challenge Fund.
Dr. Ashton Ellis, vice president for development and university relations, said, “As the top two vote-getters this year, faculty conference travel and the Gregory Hall upgrades will both receive more than $20,000.”
The planned updates to Gregory Hall in particular should be welcome news to students who have had concerns about housing and facilities.
Not all of the donations come from alumni who got their undergraduate degrees at UD.
Grillot said, “Over 25% of the funds raised for the Cor Challenge have been given by people who did not have an undergraduate experience here. The people who are supporting the university are not just those who have received from it and graduated from the Constantin undergrad program. These are people that are investing in the mission.”
He also noted that sometimes generosity comes from within, whether that be students or faculty.
“I had one faculty member in our office (who made a substantial gift) talk about how she was supporting the faculty development because when she traveled, she had to pay her own way, and so she just camped,” said Grillot.
With contributions from donors, the Challenge Fund should allow more faculty to travel at less personal cost.
Grillot also encouraged students to think about donating. He said, “Students are certainly welcome to participate in giving. It’s never too soon to start.”
Efforts like the Cor Challenge serve to invigorate UD’s mission to become the premier Catholic liberal arts university in the country. According to Grillot, people give because they believe in the mission, the education and the community at UD.
Grillot said, “Across conversations, whether those we spoke with attended in the ‘50s, the ‘80s or experienced the university as parents, one theme repeated: the University of Dallas forms deep, lifelong friendships rooted in pursuing wisdom, truth and virtue.”