You Make the Difference
Over the past decade, you and your fellow UO School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) alumni, family, and friends invested enthusiastically in the future of our school. Your gifts enabled talented students to unlock their full potential, funded nationally relevant faculty research and innovation, and created two new research centers at the SOJC.
We know our work is not done. Change demands change, and we must continually strive to better serve our students. As we look forward to the next decade of education and research at the SOJC, we reflect on the past decade with profound gratitude for the community of supporters that lifted us into our future. Thank you!
Creating Real Impact
The University of Oregon's fundraising campaign was the most ambitious and successful ever undertaken by an organization in the state, raising $3.24 billion. As part of the campaign, the SOJC committed to raising $35 million—a goal we achieved by December 2020—to make crucial progress on the school’s three key priorities.
SOJC Totals by Year
Campaign Total: $35.6M
Fundraising by Gift Purpose
Endowments created during this campaign will be the key to the SOJC’s success for decades to come. From 2010 to 2021, SOJC endowed funds have realized a cumulative market value increase of 141%, thanks to a combination of new gifts and market gains. Endowments are managed by the UO Foundation to be all-weather portfolios to maintain the purchasing power of each endowment while providing for steady and smooth annual distributions. Endowments created now support future generations of SOJC students and faculty.
Learn more about supporting the SOJC with an endowment by contacting the SOJC Development Team.
Fundraising by Gift Type
Deferred gifts strengthen the future of the SOJC while creating an enduring legacy for donors. These gifts come from the university's most optimistic and dedicated supporters—those who create opportunities for upcoming generations by including gifts in their estate plans. Thoughtful and well-planned deferred gifts take many forms, such as bequests or charitable remainder trusts. These gifts reach across the generations to touch the future of the SOJC and its students.
Want to include the SOJC in your will? Contact the SOJC Development Team for assistance.
Is the UO already in your will? Let us know so we can best honor your wishes.
Experiential Learning and Student Success
Donor gifts to support experiential learning and scholarships help SOJC students build their skills and portfolios through hands-on projects, field trips, and media productions. This real-world fieldwork is what makes them the confident, collaborative professionals that employers want to hire.
Donor-Funded Programs Change Students’ Lives
When donors give to SOJC experiential learning funds, they’re not just giving our students access to a program they couldn’t otherwise afford. They’re allowing them to see the world from a different perspective, make industry connections that lead to their first jobs, and create portfolio pieces that help them stand out in a competitive field. Below are a few of the life-changing SOJC experiential learning programs that donors have made possible.
Scholarships and Awards
In the first year of the campaign, the SOJC awarded $384,989 in scholarships to students. In FY20, the SOJC awarded $710,828 in scholarships—an 85% increase in 10 years. About 67% of SOJC undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. Keep reading to find out how donor-funded scholarships are helping SOJC students achieve their dreams.
Academic and Research Excellence
Academic excellence at the SOJC begins with our internationally renowned faculty and continues with our two trail-blazing research centers. With access to cutting-edge media technology and labs as well as faculty experts as their guides and mentors, our students are exploring the outer limits of their potential as they catapult themselves to academic and career success. Read on to find out how donor funding supports the SOJC’s mission to be a community dedicated to excellence in learning, research, and creative projects.
Recruitment and Retention of Talent
Curious, collaborative, and creative faculty members open students’ minds to the widest range of possibilities. Great faculty members bring energy and excitement to their departments, advance their academic disciplines, and lead research that results in major innovations. They also inspire their colleagues and help the SOJC recruit top students. What helps them flourish? Endowed chairs and professorships. Read more about the donor-funded faculty talent recruited to SOJC during this campaign.
Want to help the SOJC continue to recruit talented experts? Reach out to learn more about endowed chairs and professorships.
What’s Next at the SOJC?
Your gifts inspired SOJC students and faculty to dream bigger and achieve new heights. The ongoing support of our alumni, family, and friends drives the innovation, adaptation, and resilience required to continue educating the next generation of media and communication professionals and scholars. Today, so much can change with the click of a button. Your continued philanthropic support ensures the SOJC can adapt just as quickly.
See Our 2021–24 Strategic Priorities