OUR VIEW: Donations provide strength for USU

Money may not grow on trees, but fortunately USU has plenty of wealthy donors to compensate.

Over the years, millions of dollars have been donated to USU, but in the past three months, USU has received about $56 million dollars from extremely generous donors. These include Jon M. Huntsman’s $26 million donation to the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, named in his honor, the $25 million from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation to the College of Education and Human Services and most recently, a $5 million donation from the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation to the College of Natural Resources. This is the most money USU has ever received in donations in such a short period of time, including the largest single donation by Huntsman.

The list of donors names on the plaques in Old Main are continuing to expand, which is good for USU and for all students who attend here.

To the many donors, no matter how big or how small the monetary amount, we thank you. Your contributions are extremely generous and we as students do notice and appreciate these gifts. These donations are prime examples of the rewards that come from obtaining a college education and applying it effectively. Many dream of becoming wealthy, few do, and those who do too often squander away their wealth on useless and forgettable endeavors. But those who donate part of the wealth they have accumulated are giving a gift that is worth far more than having a building named after themselves. These donations improve the quality of education of USU students, Utah residents, American citizens and people across the world. That’s a big bang for the buck and an invaluable investment.

Students of USU would do well to remember these contributions and be grateful for them. Being a land-grant university, we receive significant funding from the state, but it usually isn’t enough to fund the multiple programs of the varied colleges and departments on campus. The gifts we receive from donors are what keep USU more than merely afloat, but take the school to the next level. We don’t pay thousands of dollars in tuition and fees to get an average education, we expect a first-rate education that will fuel future successful careers. These donations are an important part of creating the facilities, hiring the faculty and recruiting future students that will take USU to the next level.

With that in mind, let’s be careful with the way we approach our education. Too many students go through the motions of school: showing up to class – though 15 minutes late – and barely stay awake to check the constant flood of text messages from friends who are also not paying attention in class. Yes, part of the thrill of college is the freedom to do what we want, but what sense does it make to pay all that money and then put nothing into it and get nothing out in return? If these donors believe in the quality of education at USU, we as students should respect that quality of education as well and work to learn as much as we can. Our future careers will in some measure depend on how well we’ve educated ourselves and know how to continue to educate ourselves. A college gives us the ability to do whatever we want in the future, and as students, we should take full advantage of this.

Let’s not make these extremely generous donations go in vain. Let’s take full advantage of the extra funds and become the students these donors expect us to be.