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At the end of June, ������ý��Ƶ�����ƹۿ� concluded a month-long fundraising challenge to increase our alumni participation rate from 15% to 18%. In order to reach 18% the University needed to boost the number of alumni donors to 1,000 by June 30th coinciding with the end of our fiscal year.

Alumni not only rose to the “one of a thousand” participation challenge—they exceeded it. During the course of the month, Fairfield received contributions from 1,097 alumni and moved our 2016 Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) alumni participation rate to 18%.

“This was a great step in the right direction,” said Vice President for University Advancement, Wally Halas. “Moving the VSE alumni participation rate three points is true progress and much more reflective of the strong, positive feeling our alumni have for their alma mater.”

Why Alumni Participation is Important

Universities like Fairfield are ranked in national publications based on a variety of measurements — alumni participation is one of the most important measurements in a university’s ranking.

������ý��Ƶ�����ƹۿ� seeks to strengthen its participation rate in relation to its peer institutions. Last year, 15% of Fairfield alumni supported the University through donations. By comparison, schools like Holy Cross (49%), Boston College (26%), Villanova (22%) and Providence College (18%) boasted higher participation rates.

An increase in our participation rate can move us up in the rankings, and that raises the value of a Fairfield education. And it’s not the size of the gift that matters — it's simply how many alumni give.

Going forward, the University has set a goal of reaching a 25% participation rate by 2020. Reaching our goal of over 25% would allow us to provide more scholarships to students, invest in new programs, provide our students with the best learning environments possible and help improve our national ranking.

Learn more about participation