UC Berkeley Journalism - Alumni - Fundraising Nov. 2004

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J-School Alumni

Letter from the President: Fundraising

November 30, 2004

Dear J-School Alum:

Think back to the time you were at North Gate Hall, working on some long-forgotten deadline, trying to get that story out, and hanging out with J-school friends after a long day.

I?m at the school a lot these days as the new president of the board of the Alumni Committee. In some ways, things are different now at the school, but in many ways they?re the same. Students are still pounding away on stories in the newsroom. Faculty are still trying to make a difference. And the school is still a forum for important ideas in the world of journalism. Just this year, the J-school attracted such notables as Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman, and Al Gore, and hosted important events in the Bay Area, New York, D.C., L.A., Boston, and elsewhere across the country.

The school couldn?t do all this without a little help from its friends. In fact, with the ongoing state budget cuts, the situation has never been more urgent. The money that the J-school gets from the university barely keeps the lights on and pays staff salaries. Anything above and beyond that -- including many of the school's major new initiatives and world-class events -- must be covered by the school?s supporters.

The school doesn?t have a big endowment or scads of fat-cats to fall back on. It has supporters like you. Alums who remember what the school did for them ? regardless of where they ended up, alums who remember the incredibly unique time they had at Berkeley and how that shaped who they are today.

Like me, you probably get a lot of letters around this time of year asking for money. This is different. Your money can make a real impact.

Thanks to the many donations sent by J-School alumni last year, we created the first J-School Alumni Scholarship, given this year to Sean Patrick Farrell, an impressive and deserving young man originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. I can say he's impressive because I read his incredible application essay and helped decide to give him the award. I hung out with Sean over drinks at the school only last month, and I can report first-hand that he is hard at work at the school this year thanks to the donations alums sent in. As he said when he wrote to alums this year:

"It is a great honor to be chosen for this inaugural award bestowed by committed journalists who so highly value their own Berkeley experiences they have seen fit to aid a fledgling journalist's education. I met a few of you over Spring Weekend and was deeply impressed by the enthusiasm for the School of Journalism expressed by alums. The palpable sense of camaraderie and pride in Berkeley's program from students, other alumni and faculty only sealed the deal."

Graduate tuition at UC Berkeley increased 30 percent last year. This tuition spike at a public institution means that fewer low-income students will be able to attend the school. As alumni, we are one safety net to ensure that UC Berkeley students like Sean, who have the talent and drive to be journalists, can afford to get a journalism education. With more of you giving (and more of you giving more) we can help greater numbers of deserving students.

But like most people, you?re probably wondering: What?s in it for me? We?re ready for tough questions like that, and believe me, the board has been working hard to answer them. The board is a group of volunteers representing classes from ?47 to ?03 and a wide variety of journalistic and nonjournalistic backgrounds. Since we were founded in 2002, we?ve worked hard to bring you the kinds of benefits that the J-school simply cannot afford on its own. We?ve helped put on Alumni Weekend and organized a professional-quality continuing-education seminar every year for the last three years; we've held parties and events around the country where alums can socialize and ruminate over the issues of the day; we've brought alums back to the school to share their career experiences and build connections with current students; we?ve interviewed hundreds of prospective students for admission to the school; and we've worked with the J-School to keep alums apprised of school happenings and alumni goings-on through E-News and the (new and improved) alumni database. (If you aren?t already on the list for E-News, send an e-mail to ucbjalum@berkeley.edu.)

Over the coming year, you?ll be hearing more about an expanded set of parties and events specifically for alums, not only held at the J-School, but also in cities around the country where we have a major alumni presence. We?re already planning another blow-out Alumni Weekend (save the date: April 1-3, 2005). We?re working to improve North Gate News. And we're developing more and better resources and services for alums that will help you be better journalists, and for the nonjournalists out there, just better.

Last year we sent out a letter like this one and received about $12,000. For that, the school is thankful. But alums, we can do better. I recently received a fundraising letter from that well-known J-school on the other coast (I'm an alum there too), and the goal for alums was $3 million. We don?t have the legions of alums to accomplish that goal, but we can set the bar higher.

I crunched the numbers, and if each one of us sent in an average of $100 ? and by average, I mean anything from $5 to $5,000, depending on your particular circumstances ? we can raise at least $25,000 for the school. That's $25,000 that can pay for scholarships, start new programs, and pay for the benefits that alums already receive, and hopefully a few more.

One hundred dollars is close to the price of your favorite newspaper subscription, or a fraction of the cost of a daily coffee habit. I know the economy?s tough, but what?s tougher is to imagine the world without all the good things that the school has brought to you and will bring to future alums. So dig deep and give what you think that?s worth. And if you have more to give than mere cash, please be in touch. We will find a place for your ideas and energy. Contact me at mickeyb@speakeasy.net and I?ll make sure you?re heard.

Best,

Mickey Butts, MJ ?94

P.S. In the coming weeks, alumni and current students may be calling to ask for a donation to the school. How can you say no to that? Checks can be made out to the UC Foundation and sent to :Graduate School of Journalism, 121 North Gate Hall, Berkeley, CA. 94720-5860.

Thanks in advance.

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