UC Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign 2022
One-quarter of UC’s nearly 7,000 faculty and staff have already contributed in 2021-22
Christopher Lewis, MD, and Robin Lightner, PhD, work at the University of Cincinnati. But for them, UC is far more than just a workplace. It is also a launchpad for discovery and careers. It is a place where faculty and staff shape the lives of thousands of individuals through education, research, healthcare and the exposure to new worlds and possibilities.
Both Lightner and Lewis gained lifelong skills and knowledge from UC, and they are now giving back as co-chairs of the 2021-22 Faculty & Staff Campaign. Every day they see how Bearcats are powering new markets and industries, transforming ideas into impact, and improving the way we live, work and learn. What’s next, they know, starts with them.
Lightner, dean of UC Blue Ash College, received scholarship assistance while balancing a full-time job when she was an undergraduate student. Last year she started a working student scholarship at UC Blue Ash in honor of her mother. “I see just how hard our own students work every day for a better life, and I can’t think of a better way to invest in them and invest in our own future,” Lightner says.
Lewis, vice provost for academic programs and interim dean of the Graduate School, received scholarship assistance while earning his medical degree at the UC College of Medicine. Today, he says he is “paying it forward” by supporting the Village Life Outreach Project so that UC students “can have life-changing global service experiences in Tanzania, East Africa.” He is also supporting the Lucy Oxley African American Medical Student Scholarship and the Black Men in Medicine Cincinnati Fund. These initiatives, Lewis notes, are just a few of the “hundreds of programs across campus that have a meaningful impact on thousands of lives.”
The Faculty & Staff Campaign’s funding is used to increase scholarship opportunities, support essential programs, and ensure that all Bearcats can maximize their education – goals that are integral to UC’s mission to spark innovation and impact.
Already, one-quarter of UC’s nearly 7,000 faculty and staff members have contributed to the 2021-22 Faculty & Staff Campaign, which began last July and wraps up at the end of June. Lewis and Lightner have set a goal of 45 percent participation. They stress that every gift is important, no matter how large or how small. As always, colleges and units are vying for the lead in participation totals.
Day of Giving: What’s next, starts with you
Any day is a good day to make a gift. But if you want to join fellow Bearcats in making a splash on our annual Day of Giving, please mark your calendar! Day of Giving, a 24-hour challenge, will start at noon on Thursday, April 7, and end at noon on Friday, April 8. Last year’s Day of Giving was a record-breaker. Over 3,200 donors — more than a third of them members of our faculty and staff — gave an astounding $2.2 million!
Don’t miss the chance to double your gift with one of many challenges and matches on UC Day of Giving. There is even a specific challenge for faculty and staff taking place from 3-4 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, where you can help raise an additional $1,000 for the fund that receives the most gifts from faculty and staff during that hour.
Naturally, any Day of Giving donation counts toward the Faculty & Staff Campaign, an employee-driven initiative whose volunteer captains across campus help educate their co-workers about the importance of annual gifts through emails, Teams chats and virtual coffees.
To those who have already donated, UC and UC Health extend a sincere thank you! If you have not yet given, please consider making an annual gift to the college, area or program that means the most to you. The right amount is whatever size feels right for you.
If you have questions, please contact Kelly Grant, associate director of annual giving and member services, at 513-556-6294 or kelly.grant@foundation.uc.edu.
Kelly Grant, A&S '08
Associate Director, Annual Giving and Member Services
Related Stories
Local 12: Diabetes study focuses on how long blood sugar control...
May 3, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Robert Cohen spoke with Local 12 about the GRADE study that shows how a new medication needs to be developed to help treat people with type two diabetes.
UC alum makes her mark in research, service
May 3, 2024
In 1960, as a young and eager statistician, Joan Reisch graduated from UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, and pursued a career in Texas at the Southwestern Medical Center where she’s held numerous roles as both faculty and staff. This year, Reisch was recognized for her career accomplishments and contributions with the Philanthropist of the Year Award by UC’s Alumni Association. This award is given to an alumnus who has been highly engaged in philanthropic activities with A&S, or has made a significant impact on the college.
Local media cover $13.5 million gift benefiting ALS research and...
May 2, 2024
A historic $13.5 million gift from the estate of Hugh H. Hoffman will revolutionize amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute.