The University of the Virgin Islands will conduct its annual Alumni Phonathon on the evenings of August 24 through August 27th at the Eastern Caribbean Center building located on the St. Thomas Campus. Each evening between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m., UVI administrators, staff, alumni and volunteers will place telephone calls to many of the more than 6,000 UVI alumni in the territory and abroad, updating their contact information and asking alums to pledge their financial support to their alma mater.
Alumni gifts improve campus life and enhance the overall experience for students. One of the University's Phonathon goals is to increase funding for scholarships to assist academically gifted students as well as to assist students with financial hardships.
The University's current alumni giving rate is 4.9 percent. Linda I. Smith, UVI's Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Affairs, says the University's alumni giving goal this year is to raise $25,000 while increasing the number of alumni who give to 6 percent.
"In our 2008-2009 campaign year, more than $150,000 in academic scholarships were given to deserving students. UVI Alumni are noted as one of the major contributing groups," Smith said. "This year, we are again focusing on alumni - getting them to partner with our community to help students achieve their academic dreams."
The average Alumni Phonathon gift is $75. Pledges can be restricted or unrestricted. Restricted gifts are earmarked to be spent for specific programs or areas, such as academic or athletic scholarships (you can give to your area of interest), the Reichhold Center for the Arts, VI - EPSCoR research, summer enrichment programs, academic divisions or the Foundation for the University of the Virgin Islands. Unrestricted gifts are used to support areas of greatest need within the University.
The UVI Office of Institutional Advancement's Development Team, headed by Interim Vice President Dr. Henry Smith, is responsible for the receipt and acknowledgement of contributions to the University.
"As Specializing in Futures remains our credo, 100 percent of your financial contributions are directed to student needs and are tax deductible," Linda Smith said.
To make a contribution to the University of the Virgin Islands, please contact Linda Smith at 340-692-4023 or by e-mail at lsmith@uvi.edu.