Your Support Ensures Your Alma Mater’s Continued Excellence
The state’s financial support of TCNJ has decreased dramatically over the past 10 years. The generosity of alumni and friends is needed if the College is to continue investing in its students’ futures.
A Message from the Vice President
Donors are often motivated by the idea of contributing to something special or innovative that will yield positive outcomes for specific beneficiaries or society as a whole. They are attracted to organizations and institutions with records of accomplishment and strength, because those entities have proven track records and the capability to accomplish great things. We have seen a bit of that at The College of New Jersey, particularly of late, in the form of donations that support vibrant academic programs and undergraduate research opportunities. Donors are intrigued by the College’s record of success, which has been long heralded through prestigious rankings but is most readily evident in the outstanding alumni it has produced over many decades.
Making a positive impact, though, doesn’t always need to be about supporting a new initiative or creating something revolutionary. Sometimes it is necessary for individuals to step forward and lend their support in order to preserve something special. Your alma mater is extraordinarily special and has been for generations. It is and has been a community of bright and engaged students from a multitude of backgrounds as well as faculty and staff members who are both dedicated to their fields and the students they serve. The College is at a crossroads, however, and preserving this special place will require alumni to step forward and provide their financial support.
Why is it so urgent that alumni contribute to the College now? The reason is that the state of New Jersey has dramatically reduced the funding it provides to TCNJ over the last decade. Years ago, TCNJ could rely on state funding to address much of its costs. That has, unfortunately, not been the case for some time. The chart that accompanies this letter demonstrates just how much state support has declined in recent years. In Fiscal Year 1998, 56 percent of the College’s operating budget was paid by state appropriation. Just 10 years later, only 33 percent of the operating budget is covered by state funds.
TCNJ has succeeded in maintaining excellence despite that reduction. It is the kind of excellence that requires constant reevaluation and responsiveness to state needs and student interests. However, the College must increasingly rely on the generosity and loyalty of the greater family—alumni and other friends. I realize it is difficult to ask alumni for their help in light of global economic concerns that pervade our lives right now. I want to stress, though, that it is the act of participation on an annual basis that is as important as the size of gifts. All gifts large and small add up. I would hope that alumni and good friends would view their individual gifts as an investment in an institution that has consistently delivered on its promise of excellence for the past 153+ years and that is still very close to their hearts.
Help us preserve and strengthen something very, very special!
Sincerely,
John Marcy
Vice President for College Advancement
Posted on November 10, 2008