Caption: (From left) Harvey Henson, associate professor, Chancellor Austin Lane, Leadership Development Program students Dalton Cantrell and Sam Ramirez, and Bruce DeRuntz, director of the LDP, cut the ribbon on the new student lounge in the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics.
Alumni, donors provide historic $1.92M in support for COECTM and its students
The College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics received a record-breaking $1.92 million in donations to support scholarships and other initiatives that benefit students in fiscal year 2023.
"Salukis help Salukis, and that is especially true in the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,” said Dean Xiaoqing "Frank” Liu. "We thank our generous alumni and friends, who continue to inspire us with their historic support.”
The funds raised in the past fiscal year are more than double the college’s previous best fiscal year. In fact, for the past three years, the college has seen a rise in both the number of donors and total gifts.
Through seven years of the 24-hour Day of Giving campaign, COECTM has raised more than $100,000 four times, including each of the last three years. During the 2023 Day of Giving, the college reached a new high both in total gifts and total dollars, raising $156,525 through 250 individual gifts.
"The Day of Giving is one of the most exciting days on campus,” Liu said. "It’s been amazing to see those numbers tick up each day and each year.”
In the past year, the college has established the following endowments: the Daniel J. Greer Mathematics Scholarship, Jesse Salvado Tinoco Scholarship for Women in Engineering, Roger J. Missavage Endowed Fund for Engineering Education, William Eichfeld Fund for Civil Engineering, Richard Hockenbrock Endowment and Robert Ferketich Memorial Fund for Engineering – STEM Support.
The college has also renovated and refurbished a student lounge with funds raised through the Day of Giving and by the Leadership Development Program, which provides students with leadership coaching, one-on-one and peer mentoring, and community service opportunities.
"This is a momentous opportunity to celebrate what student initiative can accomplish,” said Bruce DeRuntz, director of the Leadership Development Program, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "All of the credit goes to the students of the LDP and our sponsors.”
Looking ahead, the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics has plans to build on this tremendous success.
"Students and faculty in our college are doing incredible things,” Liu said. "Alumni support helps our students afford their education and strengthens our ability to recruit and retain the best people.”
To learn more about supporting the college, contact Jason Fairfield at jasonf@foundation.siu.edu or make a gift online.