MSUM Faculty Have Giving Hearts

I’ve often thought that Giving Hearts Day comes at the perfect time of year.  There’s its obvious proximity to Valentine’s Day, of course. But it also arrives in the dead of winter, just when most of us need something to feel hopeful about. That’s never felt more true than this year, in the midst of our pandemic winter.

That’s why, when I logged on to my computer on February 11th, I went immediately to the Giving Hearts Day website. I knew I’d be inspired by the generosity of our community and I wasn’t disappointed: By 8:30 a.m., we’d already donated more than $4 million to the causes we care about and we were just getting started.

Thousands of gifts made up the more than $21 million that was raised that day and every one of those gifts has a story behind it. More than $50,000 was donated to MSUM, where one story in particular has stayed with me. It’s the story of our faculty, many of whom already donate regularly to MSUM. In the days leading up to Giving Hearts Day, they raised $6,000 in matching funds to encourage donations to MSUM’s Student Emergency Assistance Fund. The fund provides mini-grants to students in need and, during the pandemic, it’s seen a ten-fold increase in requests.

Even in the middle of the longest, bleakest winter most of us can remember, when most professors are working harder than ever under challenging circumstances, our faculty came together to give even more of themselves to our students. Their generosity means that fewer students will need to stop out of college. Fewer students will need to choose between paying their tuition or buying food.

In short, their generosity has transformed the lives of our students. And I’m profoundly grateful for their giving hearts.

Dr. Anne Blackhurst served as Minnesota State University Moorhead’s 11th president from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2023.