University to launch fund-raising campaign
Fund-raising will commence in earnest this fall, as CMU works to make up for lost appropriations.
University President Michael Rao said his gift to the university —the $8,820 given to him as a raise by the Board of Trustees — was not unusual, but he doesn’t generally make his financial gifts public.
“I have a long history of giving; I think it’s very important when you give your own dollars to a case to believe in,” Rao said.
He said his campaign to raise money for scholarships will begin Sept. 17. Following the 9.9-percent tuition increase, he said more students will need financial aid to attend college, and the universities that have scholarship money to offer will get the best students.
“As a result (of tuition increases), we need to look at scholarship funding too,” Rao said.
During his time at the University of South Florida, Rao said he saw that university begin to grow much as CMU is growing now. CMU is just beginning to grow and develop, he said, and good students are needed to help CMU become distinguished.
“We have a lot of talented students who apply. We accept them and then they wait to see what we have to offer.”
In addition to discussing appropriations with state government officials, Rao said he will request funds from alumni and friends of the university.
“Most people are giving. We’ve seen a 82- to 84-percent increase, much of it to scholarships. It’s been a real boost that students need,” he said. “It takes being able to say you did it to get others to do it.”
He said he expects fund-raising to go well, and giving back his raise was a way to start that.
“I wanted to kick the campaign off by showing leadership,” Rao said. “If I don’t have to tell every individual I ask to give to CMU, it helps to say I’m giving.”
