TAG Week thanks donors, raises philanthropy awareness

What do Kapoor Hall, the UB Police bikes and the Francis M. Letro Moot Courtroom in the UB Law School have in common?

Their construction and use were all made possible by private gifts to the university.

In fact, more than $33 million in private gifts was donated to UB in 2013-14, nearly half of which was made by UB alumni. The funds support scholarships, pay for new equipment, recruit faculty, help students study abroad and more.

To thank the university’s more than 22,000 donors, UB will hold Think About Giving (TAG) Week, which also aims to raise awareness about philanthropy and its impact on the lives and work of students, faculty and staff.

TAG Week, beginning Monday, Feb. 23, coincides with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s National Student Engagement and Philanthropy Month. 

“TAG Week is many things, but one thing it is not is an ‘ask’ for donations,” says Nicole Shepherd, director of donor relations and stewardship. “We want to engage with students and show them in a tangible way the things at UB that make their lives better, thanks to the generosity of our donors.”

On TAG Day, Feb. 26, the campus community will find TAG stations located inside units across the North and South campuses where items around campus — from microscopes and student lounges to entire buildings — will be identified with a tag that shows its purchase or creation resulted from the generosity of donors.

Students also can create personalized thank-you photos, notes or videos and share them on social media using the hashtag #UBTAGWEEK.

“Our graduate students are indebted to our donors,” says UB alumnus Thomas Feeley, professor and chair of the Department of Communication.

“We simply do not have the money to fund important co-curricular activities, and philanthropy helps with our goal to be the best program nationally in our area of expertise,” Feeley says. “Generous donations from alums, especially our PhD alums, has helped with recruitment and training of our graduate students.”

More than 54 percent of gifts from 2013-14 went toward student aid and funding programs such as the UB Entrepreneurship Lab, a competition that grants promising student startups with funding and incubator space.

In 2011, UB alumnus Jack Davis and his wife, Barbara, helped build the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s new home, Barbara and Jack Davis Hall, on the North Campus through a $5 million gift, the largest donation by an individual in the engineering school’s history.

Davis’ reasoning: His education at UB paved the way for his career as an entrepreneur and business owner.

Other alumni, such as Katie Kaney, volunteer their time to the university.

Nearly 20 years ago, Kaney made a promise to then-President William R. Greiner to start a UB alumni chapter in Charlotte after he helped her secure a scholarship that allowed her to earn an MBA.

Now the youngest vice president of Carolinas HealthCare System, Kaney represents the College of Arts and Sciences on the UB Alumni Association board.

“My years at UB provided a foundation for the course of my life,” says Kaney. “In fact, it was a connection to an alumnus of the UB medical school that landed me my job with Carolinas HealthCare System 18 years ago. It just seemed natural to give back to show my gratitude and respect.”

TAG Week also is the precursor to the upcoming “Faculty and Staff Campaign for Our University,” launching March 2.