The ninth annual Giving CMU Day was celebrated on campus and online on Tuesday, November 28. With the support of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the University Libraries and the Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology (IDeATe) network, over $11,000 was raised for four priority funds: Friends of the Library, Special Collections Acquisition Fund, Enhance Library Learning Spaces, and IDeATe.
A number of friendly competitions between units and student organizations allowed the CMU community to take their competitive spirit to the next level. This year, academic units competed to secure the highest percentage of donors who made a gift of $10 or more compared to last year, and the Libraries ended the evening in first place.
The Libraries also exceeded its challenge goal, with preliminary reporting showing just under 100 unique donors contributed to a University Libraries fund. This means that a family foundation in Pittsburgh will make a $25,000 gift to the Library Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
“Giving CMU Day has an incredible impact on the University Libraries and IDeATe, and allows us to elevate our charge to strengthen the work of the CMU academic community and ensure its transformative impact on the entire campus and beyond,” said Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries Keith Webster. “This year, generous gifts from the community and the additional support of a family foundation will help us advance new pathways for knowledge creation and sharing, further enrich the student experience, and continue to steward Carnegie Mellon's history and legacy.”
Thanks to the Game Creation Society, a student-run organization dedicated to the art and science of making games, the Libraries was able to take advantage of this year’s “level up” theme to engage with the students, staff, and faculty that provide critical support for its work. During the Giving CMU Day festivities, community members on campus stopped by the Sustainability Studio in Hunt Library to play arcade video games, collect limited edition swag, and learn about the extraordinary impact their support has on the day-to-day operations of the University Libraries & IDeATe.
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by Sarah Bender, Communications Coordinator