http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/554330

(09-16-2015 07:12 AM)SylvaniaRocket Wrote:  http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/554330

Just as Dr. Gaber planned!

(09-16-2015 07:53 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(09-16-2015 07:12 AM)SylvaniaRocket Wrote:  http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/554330

Just as Dr. Gaber planned!

Athletics is the front door to the university for many of us fans and alums. You will notice that when MOB made comments about the East side stands renovation set for the end of this season he said that many students and parents walk by it on tours of campus and that is not the look we want. I think we are going to see many little and large things happen in the next 12 months that are going to impact many things in a good way. I would not be surprised to see a slight uptick in UT Foundation money for 2016-2017 being provided to the university to jump start some things, including scholarship money to attract more high level students, and then back fill it back with donations that are already underway.

Season-ticket sales also have risen since the game, thought UT still has available seats for this week's game against Iowa State. Toledo has not had a home crowd larger than 25,000 since its 2012 game against Bowling Green. Since 2008, UT broke 25,000 in only two other games, against Arizona (2010) and Boise State (2011).

(09-16-2015 08:16 AM)Stpetebeachrocketfan Wrote:  

(09-16-2015 07:53 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(09-16-2015 07:12 AM)SylvaniaRocket Wrote:  http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/554330

Just as Dr. Gaber planned!

Athletics is the front door to the university for many of us fans and alums. You will notice that when MOB made comments about the East side stands renovation set for the end of this season he said that many students and parents walk by it on tours of campus and that is not the look we want. I think we are going to see many little and large things happen in the next 12 months that are going to impact many things in a good way. I would not be surprised to see a slight uptick in UT Foundation money for 2016-2017 being provided to the university to jump start some things, including scholarship money to attract more high level students, and then back fill it back with donations that are already underway.

In her remarks at the alumni pregame event, she was hoping for a UT win to raze her UA friends and to promote the university. I was stunned when she shared the fact that just 4% of the UT alumni contribute to the university. Another goal is to get many of the UT academic programs into the top 100 ratings.

It's not that the staff isn't trying. We have some lame alumni in the check writing dept. I give to athletics and academics.

(09-16-2015 05:39 PM)emanoh Wrote:  It's not that the staff isn't trying. We have some lame alumni in the check writing dept. I give to athletics and academics.

Agree about lame alumni. Everyone should give a little. Most of us have benefited greatly from our UT degree. We need to give back.

I feel there's something reversed in the logic I'm reading.

If the alumni are not contributing then the university did not do something to inspire the loyalty before they left campus and retain it after. NO Administration can make that happen. I never met anyone from a university that was loyal because of the President. Loyaty comes from the interactions with the instructors and Professors. If that interaction isn't generating loyalty, time for a little introspection, if they are working hard and showing consideration for their students.

Also note: it's not always that the big ticket donor is actually an alum. They're from the community or the parents of an alum.... If there is no consideration from that direction, it is again on the university to evaluate if they are contributing to the community at large.

The burden is on the university to generate interest, not the other way around.

Quite truthfully, UT did nothing to help my career. I was a commuter student and was not really interested in getting to know the professors or socializing in any way. I worked to pay for school and what I learned was from a lot of hard work. The placement office was not very good in prepping students for interviews on campus - or I just didn't know who to talk to or that they did such a thing. It was primarily from networking with the law office I worked at that got my career rolling - one of whom was a BG alum. He did more for my career than anyone at UT- or from UT. The guys I interviewed with that were Toledo alums were ........ I'll be nice and say nothing. I would still support UT financially, but it wasn't out of anything I felt they did for me. My level of contributions have reflected that over the years. It was the means to an end for me - and I'm not ashamed of that, just not particularly tied to UT as a university.

If every alum currently not giving gave 100 per year that would be in the 10,000,000 range, no? That's a lot of money that could be in play.

I support the Rockets through buying tickets and merchandise, traveling to road games to cheer them on, talking them up on various internet forums, and being a walking (and driving) advertisement for them and their university when I'm out and about. What if more of our Alumni did some of that. My degree did not come cheap and if that Alumni Lunch in Little Rock had been anything less than phenomenal, I might have been inclined to feel a bit slighted over the 4% comment if I'm not a member of this exclusive club in their eyes.

(09-17-2015 02:29 PM)therockets046 Wrote:  I support the Rockets through buying tickets and merchandise, traveling to road games to cheer them on, talking them up on various internet forums, and being a walking (and driving) advertisement for them and their university when I'm out and about. What if more of our Alumni did some of that. My degree did not come cheap and if that Alumni Lunch in Little Rock had been anything less than phenomenal, I might have been inclined to feel a bit slighted over the 4% comment if I'm not a member of this exclusive club in their eyes.

That is good stuff everyone, every little bit helps, even $10 dollars per year. One thing that we need to remember is that donating actually shouldn't have anything to do with us. I do realize that donating to UT is affected by some folks experience while there as students or experiences as fans, but the bottom line is that donating is not about us, its about helping UT and the future students have more opportunities! I cant even attend games most years because I live in FL but I have donated to the alumni pavilion and Larimer and plan on donating for the east side football renovation. Both donations were not small or large but I know they made a difference. Alumni get to use a nice pavilion which I have never attended one event yet. Student athletes get a nice facility for training and studying. Donating should be a selfless act......lets do all we can to support UT.

(09-17-2015 02:29 PM)therockets046 Wrote:  I support the Rockets through buying tickets and merchandise, traveling to road games to cheer them on, talking them up on various internet forums, and being a walking (and driving) advertisement for them and their university when I'm out and about. What if more of our Alumni did some of that. My degree did not come cheap and if that Alumni Lunch in Little Rock had been anything less than phenomenal, I might have been inclined to feel a bit slighted over the 4% comment if I'm not a member of this exclusive club in their eyes.

Everything we do to support our university is important.

Speaking of donating, does everyone know about Amazon Smile? If you already plan to shop at amazon, instead of going through the normal website, if you log into smile.amazon.com you can select a favorite charity and they will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to that charity. UofT Foundation is one of the available charities. It's peanuts on any given transaction, but if lots of fans that already shop there would use it, it could add up to something.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with amazon, and actually don't like some of the things they do, but do still buy things there on occasion.