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What is the MBA Class Gift? |
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Our gift will be a collective contribution to the Graduate Programs Fund. This unrestricted fund provides the School the operating flexibility it needs to compete in a dynamic environment. In recent years, the School has used the Graduate Programs Fund to underwrite scholarships, faculty research initiatives and the recent rebranding of the School and related advertising. When you make your gift, you will be given the opportunity to advise Dean Lataif and the administration on how you would suggest the gift be used. Results of this survey will be passed along to the Dean. |
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Why does the School need our contributions? |
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While tuition is admittedly high (our tuition rank within the US News & World Report top 50 is #25), it does not cover the full cost of a Boston University MBA education. The cost of faculty salaries, student scholarships and program marketing has skyrocketed over the last ten years. For the School to maintain its competitive position; indeed, for the School to improve its competitive position, it relies on the ongoing investment of its alumni. While many of our alumni have been generous, particularly our undergraduate alumni, we need to do a better job of communicating to our graduate alumni the need to invest in the ongoing value of their degrees. Further, BU is endowment poor relative to its competition. That means that the School is more dependent on tuition and alumni support than the very well-resourced schools that are ranked ahead of us (but who are in our sights!). |
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How does our MBA class gift tradition compare with our competitors’ class gift programs? |
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The BU MBA Program has a short tradition of class giving, but informal benchmarking against competitors shows that there is real potential for graduating classes to make an impact on their soon-to-be alma maters. For example, recent graduating classes of Emory ($123,000), Babson ($70,000), Darden ($497,000) and others all raised valuable funds to help those institutions compete against Boston University and other competitors. The 2007 MBA class raised $51,386 from 81.5% of the class. We can do better! |
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How can I make my contribution? |
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You can make your Class Gift by contributing on-line. |
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Do company matching gifts count toward the project? |
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Yes! Thousands of companies match (or even double or triple…some even quintuple) employee gifts. Go to http://www.matchinggifts.com/bu/ to find out if your current or future employer is among those that match. You receive full credit for your gift and your company’s match. |
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What is the goal of the MBA 2008 Class Gift Program? |
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Last year's class raised $51,386 from 81.5% of the class and we can do better! Our goal is to see 100% of the Class of 2008 join in this effort. |
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How does the Burnes Challenge Grant work? |
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Rick Burnes, GSM ’71, a General Partner at Charles River Ventures, has generously stepped forward with a challenge grant to inspire your class. Burnes is a well-known philanthropist and a regular leadership donor to the Graduate Programs Fund. He volunteers his time through service on the Dean’s Advisory Council.
To motivate participation in the MBA Class Gift, Burnes has offered to match gifts according to the following schedule:
- Gifts & pledges $300-499 will be matched dollar for dollar (e.g. your $450 is matched by $450 from Rick Burnes)
- Gifts & pledges $500+ will be matched 2:1 (e.g. your $750 is matched by $1,500 from Rick Burnes)
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