There’s no other day during the school year when philanthropy — nicknamed “Phil” by the UI Foundation’s Student Philanthropy Initiative — is more visible than Phil’s Day, which took place on Thursday, April 30, the fourth annual celebration of philanthropy on the University of Iowa campus.
UI philanthropy facts
3,028 UI faculty/staff gave back to the university in fiscal year 2014 (with gifts totaling $4,462,867).
2,719 UI faculty/staff have made a gift so far this year.
221 faculty members hold named, endowed positions provided by support from donors.
2,587 students received support from privately funded scholarships last year.
Starting at dawn, teams of students fanned out across campus to adorn dozens of buildings with black-and-gold Phil Was Here ribbons and posters, highlighting places where private support has made a big difference, whether funding facilities, scholarships, programs, research, or faculty. Students marked more than 50 buildings with the distinctive tags.
As they moved through the campus for their usual classes or workdays, students, faculty, and staff could see places where donations had made a difference. They were invited to participate by signing thank-you cards for donors at stations on the Pentacrest and a dozen other spots.
In the afternoon, eager students, faculty, and staff gathered in the IMU Ballroom to hear UI grad and visionary philanthropist Jerre Stead, who received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1965, deliver the annual Phil’s Day talk, which each year gives one UI alumnus or friend the opportunity to tell his or her professional and philanthropic story. Stead’s message to students: “Say yes to the idea of the impossible. I believe there is no impossible.”
Watch this video of Jerre Stead's "Life with Phil Talk" and hear him inspire his audience about the importance of philanthropy.
