Stevens Day of Giving 2023: Honoring Our Founders

Last year, the Stevens community rose to the Day of Giving challenge, raising more than $319,000 in just 36 hours. More than 1,000 alumni, faculty, staff and friends came forward to help ensure a stellar education for tomorrow’s science and technology leaders.

In 2023, we are setting the bar even higher, in honor of our founders. Launching on Founder’s Day, February 15, we will have 1,870 minutes to raise contributions from 1,062 donors – one donor for every first-year student in the Class of 2026! Day of Giving Advocates will help us reach out to every member of the Stevens community, encouraging support and cheering us on.

Student financial assistance is always a Day of Giving priority, ensuring that hardworking, innovative students have access to a Stevens education. While Stevens offers a number of scholarship opportunities, the Impact Assistance Scholarship has taken on particular importance in recent years, providing immediate financial relief to students and ensuring that they stay on track toward their academic and career goals.

In addition to scholarships, there is a wide variety of giving alternatives at Stevens, to meet the interests of every Stevens donor.

“Ensuring students feel connected and engaged with our campus community from day one is a top priority." says Sara Klein, vice president for student affairs. “Student organizations that celebrate a variety of interests and identities, campus traditions that convey a unique Stevens history and experience, and programs for students who benefit from expanded support structures are all ways that promote connectivity and student success."

Living and learning communities are essential to these student connections. The Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership and its connected first-year program Women in Math, Science, and Engineering provide supportive networks from peers that face similar challenges. Dawn Ortell ’77 supports the Lore-El Center as a way to advocate for women in STEM. “The Lore-El Center is such an important part of the university’s efforts to encourage women who are interested in STEM to reach their full potential,” she says. “Lore-El programs, and the community that surrounds them, are ensuring that talented, innovative women find their place in the STEM fields.”

New campus traditions, like Duck Days or Founder’s Day Ball, are becoming integral parts of student life that celebrate Stevens and help students form lifelong bonds with one another. Support for these programs, such as sponsoring a student ticket for Founder’s Day Ball, can help students deepen personal connections and instill pride. “The Lore-El Center’s LeadHERship Conference, Wittpenn Walk, and Flock Parties, among many other community building events were all important to my own student experience,” says Emily Kovelesky ’22. She continues, “The more recent establishment of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been an integral step in fostering inclusive and vibrant spaces at Stevens, and I’m making a gift for the Stevens Day of Giving to ensure that all students feel celebrated and empowered on our campus.”

Programs that provide formative experiences often come with additional financial considerations. Initiatives such as spring break trips give students an opportunity to deeply engage through athletic training, experiential learning and community service offerings. Spring break travel is directly supported from gifts made to athletic teams, student organizations like Habitat for Humanity and even the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which is planning a trip to Washington D.C. this March.

International experiences, in particular, are opportunities for Stevens students to expand their understanding of the world. “Study abroad experiences are transformative,” says Susi Rachouh, director of study abroad programs. “Immersion in another culture expands students’ understanding of the world, inspiring and informing their innovative spirit.”

Stevens Day of Giving is not only a chance to encourage this broader perspective, but to bring international members of the Stevens community a bit closer to campus life. For Michael Delevante ’63, who resides in Canada, giving to the Class of 1963 scholarship is a connecting force. “After 60 years with only two short visits to the campus, I will never forget my amazing 4 years at Stevens,” he says.

For others, Day of Giving is a chance to prepare students for future careers. Woo Lee, chair of chemistry and chemical biology, says “Contributions to our academic programs and research labs provide hands-on and immersive experiences like internships at local medical centers and presenting research findings at regional society meetings. These opportunities are foundational to our students’ future success.”

Whatever they choose to support, Allison Kolb, director of annual giving, appreciates the passion that alumni and friends bring to Stevens Day of Giving. “Donating during Stevens Day of Giving increases the impact of everyone’s gifts,” Kolb says. “Through matches and challenges, donors can literally multiply their support. Day of Giving is, most importantly, an opportunity to highlight the many programs and initiatives that make a Stevens education so valuable.”

Stevens’ namesake family understood the power of philanthropy. Their generosity created an institution that has, in its 153 years, educated talented individuals who went on to help transform their industries, their communities, and society at large. Day of Giving 2023 is an opportunity for every member of the Stevens community to carry that legacy forward.

Members of the Stevens community are invited to learn more about Stevens Day of Giving by visiting stevens.edu/dayofgiving.