Donors to The University of Texas at Dallas continued to break records during the fifth annual Comets Giving Days on May 26 and 27. Nearly $1.4 million was raised from more than 2,800 gifts to benefit over 100 campus groups.
The single largest gift came from Marilyn and Jerry Comer MS’77. The couple contributed $500,000 to create a new endowment supporting the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Photography Collection, an archive of nearly 2,000 photos, books and periodicals documenting American life from the mid- to late-20th century. The Comers had earlier donated the collection to UT Dallas, and their new gift will provide support for it in perpetuity.
“Each year, UT Dallas brings in a visiting artist selected by the School of Arts and Humanities, usually a famous photographer who will give a lecture, lead classes and conduct portfolio reviews with students,” Jerry Comer said. “Our donation will fund these visits, as well as future acquisitions, the collection’s director and a student researcher who will work with the collection.”
In all, the School of Arts and Humanities received $529,590 from 143 gifts across nearly all of its centers, programs and activities. In addition to the record-breaking gift from Jerry and Marilyn Comer to the Comer Collection, the Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology raised more than $10,000 this year thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Marvin and Kathy Stone.
Dozens of challenges and matching gift opportunities boosted individual donations throughout Comets Giving Days. The Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies was among the many groups finishing at the top of the giving leaderboards and earned bonus funds for their causes. In fact, many of the centers associated with the School of Arts and Humanities ranked very well on the centers leaderboard, with the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies (rank 2), Center for Asian Studies (rank 8), Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology (rank 14), Center for Translation Studies (rank 15), and Center for U.S. – Latin America Initiatives (rank 21) for the number of individual donations received. The UTD Pep Band won numerous challenges for bonus funds as well, including the Night Owl Challenge and Early Risers Bonus.
Two of the ambassadors from the School of Arts and Humanities were among the top 10 most active digital ambassadors for Comets Giving Days this year. Cindy Seton-Rogers, Academic and Outreach Events Manager for the Ackerman Center, and Brandon Brown, Web Developer for the School of Arts and Humanities, were ranked 3rd and 6th among all other digital ambassadors for Comets Giving Days. Being among the most active and successful digital ambassadors, both were invited to have virtual coffee with President Benson.
Large portions of this story came from the story “Supporters Contribute $1.4 Million During Comets Giving Days” originally published in the UTD News Center by Daniel Steele.