Grant to turn students into benefactors

Fri, November 6, 2009 |

With the nation's unemployment hovering at nearly 10 percent, communities are struggling and more people are turning to non-profit agencies for help making ends meet. As the United States climbs back from one of the worst recessions in its history, Valparaiso University students will learn first-hand how they can make a difference in people's lives through a course that turns them into philanthropists.

Valpo's course "Traditions of Giving and Serving in American Life" will be supported this spring by a $10,000 grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation's Learning by Giving Program. Students taking the course will be charged with deciding how to give the money to local non-profit agencies.

Dr. Martin Buinicki, associate professor of English, said the class provides an opportunity for students to reflect on why and how they use their gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. The course has been offered twice before, and students who took the course last spring were able to give $1,000 to three local non-profits thanks to a grant from the Valpo-based Project on Civic Reflection.

As part of last year's seed grant, Dr. Buinicki surveyed students before and after the course to find out if it changed how they thought about giving to others. The results were clear.

"Students who took the course showed a statistically significant increase in their willingness to give both their time and money," Dr. Buinicki said. "Since these were students who already were inclined to give, seeing that they were even more willing to give at the conclusion of the course was very encouraging."

The Learning by Giving Program's only stipulations are that students must give at least $1,000 to each recipient they select and that all grant awards must go to tax-exempt 501(c)3 organizations.

Louise Sawyer from the Learning by Giving Program said that students can be transformed by thinking about philanthropy and the larger needs in society that can be addressed by their gifts.

"Students get excited about the possibility of making a difference in the world and actually becoming agents for positive change," Sawyer said. "The process creates a great relationship between students, non-profits and the university because students' eyes are opened to needs in their communities that they weren't aware of. At the same time, they get to see how non-profits are working to address those needs."

Alex Buffett Rozek, a trustee of the Sunshine Lady Foundation (founded by Doris Buffet, Warren Buffet's sister), noted that record amounts of wealth will be transferred from one generation to another in the coming decades.

"I can't imagine many things more important than making sure the next generation of leaders has a practical, working experience of how to effectively allocate scarce resources," he said. "Students have everything to gain from having to make real life decisions based on the merits of the projects requesting funding, and society will gain from the thoughtful instruction they receive in learning how to get the most from every dollar spent."

With the new grant, Dr. Buinicki said more Valpo students will have the opportunity to practice being benefactors during the coming semester and in future years.

"It's exciting to have this grant available on an indefinite basis so that students can give away $10,000 every year," he said. "That's going to build a lot of momentum for the course among our students."

Doretta Kurzinski of Valparaiso took the course last spring to learn more about the history of giving and serving in America.

"I have always been an active volunteer and have tried to instill this same attitude and understanding of helping others in my children," Kurzinski said. "My understanding of how and why people do and don't give of their time and resources was certainly enhanced."

Kurzinski takes part in service projects organized by her church and gives regularly to mission workers overseas. She's also currently weighing how to get involved in a project that teaches young folks about the importance of giving and serving.

"Most students don't have money to give, so they don't think about how to analyze community needs and weigh those against the best use of funds available," she said. "I think that the opportunity this course gives for students to make a real difference by making decisions about donating real money to organizations, not a dollar or some change given on impulse, is one of its most important aspects."

The Learning by Giving Program has doubled in size during the past year, with 15 schools now receiving $10,000 grants. Sawyer noted that Valpo's course is the first English-based class to be supported.

Dr. Buinicki said students will read a variety of texts exploring the varied ways that the nature and purpose of philanthropy and service in American life have been considered. At the same time, students will talk to area non-profit organizations about their operations and how they use donations to address needs in the community.

"We're excited to see Valpo's unique approach," Sawyer said. "The students will be reading a wonderful selection of different perspectives on giving and philanthropy that should have a deep impact on them."