The number of UW-Superior faculty and staff members who make financial gifts to the university has grown steadily over the past years. This year 30.2 percent of faculty and staff made a gift to the university.

Here, Dr. Cindy Graham, associate professor of communication, talks about why she gives back to the university:
 

"I want to see this place and these students prosper"

Each fall, Dr. Cindy Graham conducts a survey in her Introduction to Communication classes. One of the questions she asks students is how much time they spend working while attending UW-Superior. Most answer 20 to 40 hours a week.

Those working students are just one of the reasons that Dr. Graham has been making financial gifts to UW-Superior since she joined the faculty in 1988.

"Since I started asking that question I've always been stunned at the amount of hours they work while going to school," she said. "A lot of our students are the first in their families to go to college, so I want to help them succeed. Anything I can do in the classroom or financially, that's important to me."

She's not alone in feeling that way. The number of UW-Superior faculty and staff members who make financial gifts to the university has grown steadily in recent years. This year 30.2 percent of faculty and staff made a gift to the university -- well above average for campuses in the University of Wisconsin System.

Dr. Graham, an associate professor of communication, makes a monthly gift to the university, along with memorial gifts when appropriate.

"It's very important to me to give back to the university," Dr. Graham said. "I earned my master's degree here. But more significantly, I can see on a daily basis the need that many donors don't get to see."

"I want to see this place and these students prosper."