MU donors give more than $13 million on Mizzou Giving Day

Mizzou Giving Day raised support for schools, colleges and programs across campus

March 14th, 2019

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Office of Advancement officials announced today that 4,095 gifts were made during the third-annual Mizzou Giving Day, raising a total of $13.29 million. Mizzou Giving Day, which was celebrated from noon Wednesday, March 13, to noon Thursday, March 14, is the university’s campaign to encourage donors to support MU through challenges and matching gift opportunities.

“When we put out the call for Tigers to go all in for Mizzou, they answered that call with a resounding ‘Z-O-U!’” said Todd McCubbin, executive director of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “Thousands of gifts came together to make Mizzou stronger on Mizzou Giving Day, which will help our students, academics and traditions thrive.”

Nobel Laureate George Smith and spouse Marjorie Sable started Mizzou Giving Day with an announcement that they have chosen to donate Smith’s prize money, a total of $243,000, to create the Missouri Nobel Scholarship Fund. The fund will establish scholarships to support undergraduate students within the college. MU and the University of Missouri System contributed additional funds that raised the total to more than half a million dollars. This included $200,000 through the Missouri Compact Promise & Opportunity Scholarship Program, and another $100,000 commitment from Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright. Cartwright announced MU is creating a new tradition where the university will set aside $100,000 for scholarships every time a faculty member wins a Nobel Prize.

Not including Smith’s initial gift, the Missouri Nobel Scholarship Fund received $13,303 from donors.

This year’s event included a social media challenge where participants posted questions they wanted Smith to answer. Shannon King, a doctoral student of biochemistry, received an answer from Smith on social media and won $200 in bonus funds to give to his/her program of choice.

Several additional programs benefited from Mizzou Giving Day:

The Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence, which provides scholarship support to deserving students, attracts stellar faculty and creates innovative programs, raised $48,405.This year the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence Committee matched every new gift up to $25,000.

The Mizzou Alumni Association Scholarship challenge raised $56,692 for student scholarships. Every dollar given online to the Mizzou Alumni Association Scholarship Challenge was matched up to $2,500 for every participating local chapter or organization.

The Mizzou Student Foundation’s Rally Mizzou initiative raised $1,175. The Rally Mizzou campaign began Monday and ended today with a celebration in The Shack.

Mizzou Giving Day is a part of the Mizzou: Our Time to Lead campaign. With an overall fundraising goal of $1.3 billion, the comprehensive campaign will secure the University of Missouri’s status among the nation’s elite public universities by focusing on four priorities:

• Endowment to compete with other institutions that will strengthen the ability to attract and retain stellar students and faculty.
• Signature centers and institutes will be the engine of research growth that will enhance MU’s Association of American Universities status and add to the university’s distinctiveness.
• Campus renaissance spurred by new and renovated facilities will propel Mizzou to global leadership in education and research and will help attract and retain students and faculty.
• Student success by providing Mizzou students access to world-class learning opportunities that will ensure they thrive on campus and throughout their lives.