Every gift from our alumni — no matter what the amount — makes a real difference in the lives of our students because it provides critical funding for our academic programs, athletic/sport programs, scholarship awards and campus improvements. Last year, 7,244 alumni gave to RIT. Here’s what their support, along with that of parents, friends and faculty/staff, helped make possible:

• Increased scholarship assistance. Nearly $765,000 in giving provided additional resources for the 70% of RIT students who receive need- or merit-based scholarships.
• Renovated and revitalized facilities and program enhancements – using the more than $1.4 million in giving directed to our eight colleges.
• A record-breaking season for our sports teams – especially Division I Hockey Tigers who won the Atlantic Hockey Association title. But all 24 of our teams benefited from the more than $153,000 in giving to our athletics program.
• Continued discovery, creativity and entrepreneurship – all made possible by giving of just over $733,000 to student life, campus enhancement, and other important programs.

To see a chart of last year's support, click here.

But RIT alumni support still lags behind other peer institutions and even state colleges. In 2006-2007, only 8% of RIT alumni contributed to the university vs. 16-27% at other institutions. Typically, alumni are the key element in supporting a university, especially when it comes to "bridging the gap" between what tuition covers and what it actually costs to educate a student today.

• PARTICIPATION MATTERS — RIT's national ranking gains ground when you make a gift because rating organizations use alumni financial support as one of the measurements of a successful college. And high ratings attract talented faculty and put RIT on the "first choice" list of potential students.
• EVERY GIFT COUNTS — Many great nonprofits vie for your philanthropic dollars today. How do you decide where your "investment" will make the greatest impact? Your gift to RIT is your "vote of confidence" in the balanced, high quality education that RIT provides to its students, who will soon be the leaders of tomorrow. Every gift helps RIT maintain its excellence, whether it goes to upgrading classroom or lab equipment, student research projects, library resources, student clubs, athletics and yes — scholarships.

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