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Loyalty/obligation to your college?

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rmattox

All-Conference
Nov 26, 2014
6,786
4,006
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Posters on sports boards often talk about a sense of obligation to support their university. I've attended 4 different universities in my life and feel absolutely no sense of obligation to send them money, pull for their teams, support endowments, etc.... I paid for services and received services in return. It was a business transaction.

Should grads of colleges feel like they owe support to their colleges/universities? Do grads have an obligation to their alma maters?
 
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UKGrad93

Heisman
Jun 20, 2007
17,437
22,789
0
No. I'm a graduate of two universities. I follow UK men's basketball and football. Other than buying a few shirts or game tickets, I don't feel the need to send money.

With UK, I'm in a unique place. I was the last student to graduate in my major (the program was ended). I was in the college of Allied Health (noe college of Health Sciences). The graduate program that was related to my degree moved to the college of medicine. They made me an orphan.

I work for another university and have a degree from there as well. I feel no obligation to turn around and hand my paycheck back over to them. None. I've never supported their sports teams either.
 
LineSkiCat14

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,144
59,532
113
Our CIS program was a borderline joke. I learned more at the job than I did in college. What I received were experiences and character building, which I'm grateful for, but they did make $160,000 off me. They don't need any more money unless I become a millionaire.. until then, they've effectively failed.
 
funKYcat75

funKYcat75

Heisman
Apr 10, 2008
32,419
41,033
112
Nah. UK Alumni mail goes right into the trash. Not even recyclable. I gave them money once.
 
T

Tskware

Heisman
Jan 26, 2003
25,335
22,169
113
Yes, received a terrific education in Fayette County Public schools, plus two degrees from UK which has allowed me to earn a comfortable living and raise two children. I do give some right now, and intend to give more as time goes by.

I sort of feel an obligation to pay it forward, Legislatures all over the country don't support public universities the way they did back when I started at UK.

OTOH, neither of my kids went to UK and I have told both of them it is up to them to contribute whatever they can or want to their alma maters. It was truly an economic transaction for me with those two schools for my kids, but they aren't my school, UK is.
 
K

Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
0
Yes. I have given back to my alma mater every single year since I graduated. The amounts have changed obviously as I have made more money over the years but I gave back that very first year after I graduated. And I will always give back. I specifically donate money to the business program and to the basketball program because of my personal attachments to those two programs. And the reason I do is because I know my experience would have been very different if not for alumni donations whilst I was a student and even in the years before I arrived on campus.

Just curious what those of you who don't donate think things would have been like on your campus with zero donations before and while you were in attendance? Or if there even would have even been an institution to attend?
 
R

rmattox

All-Conference
Nov 26, 2014
6,786
4,006
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Kaizer Sosay said:
Just curious what those of you who don't donate think things would have been like on your campus with zero donations before and while you were in attendance? Or if there even would have even been an institution to attend?
Click to expand...

The institutions that provided quality programs would have succeeded without alumni support. It's simple business. Granted, they may not have had as many new buildings but they still could have accomplished what I was paying them to accomplish.
 
K

Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
0
ram1955 said:
The institutions that provided quality programs would have succeeded without alumni support. It's simple business. Granted, they may not have had as many new buildings but they still could have accomplished what I was paying them to accomplish.
Click to expand...

I asked what the experience would have been like.

"Not as nice" is the correct answer.
 
R

rmattox

All-Conference
Nov 26, 2014
6,786
4,006
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Kaizer Sosay said:
I asked what the experience would have been like.

"Not as nice" is the correct answer.
Click to expand...

Granted, it would have been different, but not in ways that would have impacted the final result or in a way that I'd have paid for. The important things were the relationships...and that was a matter of people choosing to go to those particular universities.
 
K

Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
0
ram1955 said:
Granted, it would have been different, but not in ways that would have impacted the final result or in a way that I'd have paid for. The important things were the relationships...and that was a matter of people choosing to go to those particular universities.
Click to expand...
True
 
funKYcat75

funKYcat75

Heisman
Apr 10, 2008
32,419
41,033
112
If I had attended a non-public university, I might feel differently. Maybe I shouldn't feel that, but I do. UK seems to be doing OK without me.
 
B

BlueRaider22

All-American
Sep 24, 2003
15,562
9,058
0
Obligation? As in financially? No.

I do have a soft spot though. MTSU and UK are where I grew up quite a bit.....had a ton of fun......got degrees which shaped my career path.....met many life-long friendships.....met my wife.....etc.
 
R

Ron Mehico

Heisman
Jan 4, 2008
15,473
33,054
0
I've attended 4 universities and will probably only donate to one of them when I have the means to do so, UK might potentially be another one if I eventually want bball tickets [winking]
 
K

Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
0
funKYcat75 said:
If I had attended a non-public university, I might feel differently. Maybe I shouldn't feel that, but I do. UK seems to be doing OK without me.
Click to expand...
What difference does public or non-public make? For example: this little project probably never gets off the ground at UK without a little $5 million dollar private starter donation...not to mention many other smaller private donations (in addition to the public funds, tuition money, etc... that eventually helped complete the project).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Young_Library
 
R

rmattox

All-Conference
Nov 26, 2014
6,786
4,006
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Kaizer Sosay said:
What difference does public or non-public make? For example: this little project probably never gets off the ground at UK without a little $5 million dollar private starter donation...not to mention many other smaller private donations (in addition to the public funds, tuition money, etc... that eventually helped complete the project).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Young_Library
Click to expand...

Certainly a nice gift and addition to the campus. Could UK have survived and its students still have received a quality education without it? Not knocking the people that gave it, just asking if the library was essential.
 
J

JonathanW_rivals

Heisman
Jan 3, 2003
145,534
15,709
0
When I was in graduate school at UK, I stopped by WKU one weekend to see the new student center my tuition helped build. They wouldn't let me in, they were afraid I was going to go in and use the gym since I wasn't a student (even though I clearly wasn't dressed for a workout). WKU lost any chance at ever getting any money from me on that day.
 
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K

KingOfBBN

Heisman
Sep 14, 2013
39,077
38,403
0
I love getting a call once or twice a month from my alma mater "checking in" to verify my contact info and then ask for money.

Cool. Can I call you up and ask for money, university?
 
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