2023 TU Big Give is the biggest yet

By Towson University on May 11, 2023

Towson University continues to RISE, thanks to the generosity of its alumni and community members. 

On April 26, the 2023 TU Big Give raised $375,072, an all-time best and nearly $135,000 more than the year before. The 1,662 donors and their 2,128 gifts offer further proof that alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends are deeply committed to TU. 
 
“This year’s TU Big Give was incredible,” says Kristen McCurdy ’16, director of annual giving. “As an employee and an alumna, I’m always proud to be a TU Tiger but never more so than on Big Give day this year. We asked our Tigers to show their stripes in support of all the different areas they love at our university, and they rose to the occasion like never before.” 

The top five funds over the 24-hour giving marathon were Fisher College of Science & Mathematics ($143,095), Towson University Athletics ($103,619), the TU Fund ($25,316), College of Health Professions ($18,765) and College of Business & Economics ($13,497). For more results, check out the full campaign leaderboard.

One of the newest funds was also a donor favorite: the Canine Comfort Companion Fund. Totaling $13,190, donations in this area unlocked a $2,500 gift from the DeFilippis family, making it possible for TU to welcome a canine friend to campus during the next academic year. This dog will serve the TU community by helping to ease stress, reduce the pressure of finals and improve the overall Tiger well-being. The new comfort dog will be present on campus 220 days each year, benefiting Tigers through thousands of interactions.
 
The Tiger Scavenger Hunt, a popular addition this year, raised $3,150 from 12 corporate and personal sponsors who funded 13 stuffed tigers hidden across campus. Students who found them selected from one of 10 funds to direct the gift represented by the toy. Their top choices were the Counseling Center, Towson Athletics and the Student Emergency and Food Insecurity Fund. 
 
“This year’s success has inspired us all,” says Brian DeFilippis, vice president of the Office of University Advancement. “The TU Big Give has played an important role in the success of our $100 million RISE campaign—contributing more than $1 million to RISE and helping foster Towson University’s culture of philanthropy over the past five years." 
 
The RISE campaign features six priorities—student success, faculty excellence, academic innovation, community partnerships, building a world-class campus and sustaining opportunities through annual giving and endowment. Within each priority area are broad-based giving opportunities identified by deans, vice presidents, faculty and staff. The campaign will further fuel TU’s continued progress and provide the resources necessary to achieve a bold and ambitious institutional vision, detailed in the university’s 2020–30 Strategic Plan.