Every year the faculty and staff of Central Michigan University are offered the opportunity to support the University through the “Campus Campaign.” The University’s employees are asked to make a financial contribution to CMU; to give back a bit of what they earn to help support the institution’s goals and aspirations.The campaign is important at many levels. At one level, the University can use the money. One can debate the wisdom of public policies that have led to a continuing and deep decline in the amount of state funds made available for higher education, but the impact is not debatable. Tuition has increased substantially and funding for higher education has become much more dependent on public generosity. At another level, if we are going to ask others to help us, we have to show that we ourselves believe so much in what we do that we are willing to lead by example. It is easy to ask someone else for money. However, “the ask” is much more convincing if we as individuals have already donated to the cause we are asking others to support.
Thus, I am very pleased that the Clarke staff has been recognized for having obtained the highest percentage of donors among CMU units with fewer than twenty-five employees to the recently completed 2010 Campus Campaign. The accomplishment is even more notable in that the Clarke staff also received this award for the 2009 Campus Campaign.
My thanks go to the individual Clarke staff members who, despite hard times, supported the Campus Campaign. Like the University as a whole, the Library can use the money. More importantly, gifts from staff members demonstrate our commitment to what we do every day.