Stats and Tweets: English Participates in Sun Devil Giving Day
On March 19, 2015, the Department of English actively participated in Sun Devil Giving Day. The campaign was Arizona State University’s third-annual, university-wide celebration of philanthropy, taking the place of what was formerly known as “Mark It Day.”
According to the ASU Foundation, a day-long giving campaign such as this helps provide “resources necessary for our faculty, students, and researchers to solve the greatest issues facing our world today.”
The ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Investment Fund made available $50,000 in matching funds for college units on Sun Devil Giving Day. Each unit was responsible for reaching out to its members and friends to garner support.
English chose several funds on which to focus its giving efforts: 1. Creative Writing (30-Year Anniversary); 2. Department of English Operations; 3. English Faculty Scholarship Fund; 4. English International Graduate Student Book Award; 5. English Department Scholarship/Fellowship Fund; and 6. Film & Media Studies General Fund
In total, the Department of English received $2,838 in contributions on March 19. Those contributions obtained a $2,458 match for a total impact of $5,295.
The ASU Foundation sponsored several Social Media Challenges throughout the day as well. There were nine challenges in all, and if selected as winners, units earned small monetary prizes for their colleges or schools.
With social media manager Bruce Matsunaga at the electronic helm, English competed fiercely all day. But by 5 p.m., we had nothing to show for our efforts.
Finally, at 5:34 p.m., Matsunaga pulled out the secret weapon: a picture of Hollywood star Nathan Fillion in ASU gear. Fillion had participated in English’s June 2014 fundraiser event, “Serenity, Softwire, and the Science of Science Fiction” and delighted fans with his good-natured involvement.
Dedicated Fillion enthusiasts from across the U.S. took to the Twitterverse, helping spread the word about ASU English.
Photos: screenshots from English's Twitter account.
Header background image from March 7, 1925: Arizona Governor Hunt signs legislation to change ASU's name from Tempe Normal School to Tempe State Teachers College.