"Giving Day" sprung it's Hydra-Head several years ago as a mechanism to goad university and other alums to make an extra annual gift, playing on the fact that many alums, especially old geezers, will have forgotten that they have already given.

Vanderbilt (current endowment $10,206,067,257) is successful at raising billions or hundreds of millions of $ in strategic multi-year endowment campaigns, so we have plenty of endowment money, catching up with and/or surpassing some of the Ivies.

But, in their current "Giving Day", campaign, Vandy has snatched a cool $12 million in easy money, and the day is only half over, using only the Internet and a single web site.

Here's what I find interesting. Donors can select from a wide array of colleges and schools within the university, such ad undergrad Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Nursing, Peabody School of Education, Blair School of Music, and graduate schools of Medicine, Law, Divinity, etc.

What floors me is, half the money raised so far, $6 million. is earmarked for Athletics. Hmmm, maybe with Vandy's hysterical historical record in SEC football, much encouragement is needed?


I saw where University of Michigan raised $4,668,469, and almost half went to Arts & Sciences, which is extremely commendable, and only $34,950 to Athletics.

Consistent with my emerging my theory that, in the eyes and wallets of alums, athletic support is inversely proportional to need, with a fantastic Big 10 history, Michigan athletics probably doesn't need an extra dime.

Check your Alma Mater and see if it has a Giving Day, and see what programs the alums support.