In 1986, the Georgia Tech Student Foundation (GTSF) was officially created and given a $100,000 endowment from J. Erskine Love, Jr. The GTSF Investment Committee invested the endowment and continues to use the interest earned to help fund events and projects for organizations on Tech’s campus.
As of Sept. 18 the original $100,000 GTSF endowment reached the $1,000,000 mark with the Investment Committee’s expertise.
“The main mission of the GTSF is moving forward while giving back,” said Elizabeth Morris, GTSF Chief Executive Officer on the Board of Trustees.
“Today that endowment reached $1,000,000 for the first time ever. We are the largest run student foundation and the first to get above $1,000,000 ever,” Morris said.
The GTSF recently created the Philanthropy at Tech initiative, a week-long campaign from Sept. 15 to Sept. 21, to showcase the impact philanthropy has on Tech’s campus.
“The GTSF really wants students to see that philanthropy built Georgia Tech,” Morris said. “Without philanthropy our campus wouldn’t have any buildings. We also wouldn’t have a place to study or learn or we wouldn’t have the teachers we have through endowments.”
The GTSF placed signs in front of major buildings across Tech’s campus to grab students’ attention.
“We wanted to put on a large visual display to reach all of campus so people would walk by and not miss the signs. With the signs we wished to educate the students so they could look at the buildings from a philanthropic viewpoint,” Morris said.
The campaign also carried a call to action component to directly reach out to Tech students.
“The last element of Philanthropy at Tech week was the call to action event that students could attend and meet major Tech donors and alumni. Students could shake their hands and be inspired to give back,” Morris said.
The call to action event was held on Friday, Sept. 20 with speakers John Brock, current Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and major Tech donor, and his wife, Mary Brock, sharing. Their remarks focused on their thoughts about philanthropy.