The message is not a new one, but organizers of the initiative are stepping up their efforts in hopes that students will give back to the University once they graduate.
Speed Hallman, director of development communication, said brilliant professors, student scholarships and campus landmarks such as the Bell Tower and Kenan Stadium all result from private alumni contributions.
Of UNC's 62,000 alumni who have graduated within the past 15 years, about 12.8 percent have given back to the University -- a statistic this campaign wants to increase.
"Its goal is to raise consciousness among students that good things are happening because the alumni are giving back," Hallman said.
Good to Know is not directly related to the Carolina First Campaign, UNC's $1.8 billion, eight-year fund-raising project, but it aims to publicize the beneficial impacts the donations fund. Founded in 2000, the Good to Know initiative has seen a new push since Carolina First kicked off its public phase this month.
"A lot of things that alumni give make UNC a livable place, not just a learnable place," said program leader Dennis Marcel, a senior business and journalism major. "We are trying to paint the town with information."
Also involved in the annual senior class gift, which usually raises between $20,000 and $25,000, Good to Know is often the first opportunity students have to give back to the University, Marcel said.
The program's modest budget, which mainly consists of printing costs, is funded by the Office of Development.
Unlike Carolina First, which ends July 1, 2007, Good to Know will be hanging around for awhile."It's going to go on as long as it needs to," Marcel said.
