Students for University Advancement: Helping W&M break records one day at a time

Dear William & Mary Community,

My name is Jimmy Moore and I have the pleasure of serving as chair of Students for University Advancement (SUA). SUA is a group of undergraduate students at William & Mary who are committed to educating current students about the impact of private support on campus, engaging them with fun ways to give back and exciting them about being involved in the future of the university. This year, we revamped the way we recruit our members by encouraging faculty and staff to nominate students they believe would support our alma mater and the For the Bold campaign. Our new members are educated on the campaign goals and encourage students and alumni to give back to W&M.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, SUA hosted the fourth annual Tag Day celebration. Students went all over campus placing big gold tags on buildings, programs, and resources that are available to us because of private support. Not only does Tag Day highlight the tangible effects of private support, but also serves as an opportunity to teach undergraduates about philanthropy. Through peer-to-peer outreach and innovative social media outlets — such as a customized Snapchat geofilter — our students were able to share their Tag Day experience with the Tribe community.

Perhaps the most exciting initiative SUA introduced this semester was our inaugural Impact Week, which occurred Oct. 24-28. Impact Week is a campus-wide competition in which three student organizations compete for funding to execute a community service project that benefits our local community. Our three spring Impact Week finalists were The Haven, Pre-Vet Club and Project Phoenix. First place received $5,000, second place received $3,000 and third place received $2,000, thanks to sponsorships from S. Douglas Bunch ’02, J.D. ’06 and James A. Hixon J.D. ’79, M.L.T. ’80, P’08, P’11, two members of the Board of Visitors. To achieve their desired level of funding, students encouraged their peers to donate $5 to W&M, which in turn allowed the student to vote for their preferred project.

At the end of the week, we had received an impressive 416 votes from student gifts! The Haven, which finished in first place, will use the funds to make their facility a more welcoming space for survivors of sexual assault and violence. The Pre-Vet Club finished in second place and will receive $3,000 to educate W&M students about the importance of service animals on campus and their positive impact on mental health. Project Phoenix finished in third place and will receive $2,000 to further their mentorship program and partnership with elementary school children in the Williamsburg area.

SUA has concluded a very successful fall semester, and we are already gearing up for spring! We look forward to participating in Charter Day (Feb. 10, 2017) and One Tribe One Day (March 28, 2017) activities and hosting spring Impact Week. Our SUA members are proud to serve our great university and we cannot wait to meet you, our alumni and friends.

Best,

Jimmy Moore ’18