To mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the College of Business, and to raise awareness of the importance of philanthropy, a group of FIU Business students created the Business Student Philanthropy Council in fall of 2014. The goal: highlight the many ways philanthropy touches students’ lives, and foster a culture of giving back among undergraduate students before they leave the university.
The group’s first project: establishing the FIU Business Class Gift from the Class of 2015. As a thank-you for contributions starting at $20.15, participating students received a cord to wear at commencement, or for a larger gift, an FIU Business stole. In total, 400 members of the Class of 2015 participated, raising a total of $12,000.
The Class of 2015’s gift went to the FIU Student Enhancement Fund, which helps pay for out-of-the-classroom experiences such as case competitions and professional development opportunities, scholarships and mentoring programs. Graduating students, many of whom had received funding for activities through the fund, were gratified to help replenish the fund to create opportunities for students of the future. The Class Gift project was so successful that it will be adopted by the entire university.
For their next project, the council partnered with Bank of New York Mellon to present a Spring 2016 workshop on philanthropy in the workplace, sharing guidance on how a practice of giving back stands as an important part of a successful business career. Future projects will continue to focus on helping students understand and develop an ongoing culture of giving back.