Published: July 27, 2023

Appreciation All Around for UT’s Give Day

Gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, volunteer boards and friends totaled nearly $1.04 million and will help UT continue to provide a world-class education and resources to students.

By Holly Neumann | Photographs by Jessica Leigh

UT Give Day 2023, a 24-hour day of giving in April, was marked by gratitude both for and from the University.

Gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, volunteer boards and friends totaled nearly $1.04 million and will help UT continue to provide a world-class education and resources to students.

“All gifts, regardless of size, make a difference,” said Keith Todd, vice president of development and university relations. “Together, we can positively impact UT now and for years to come.”

After hitting the Give Day donation goal, Keith Todd, vice president of Development and University Relations, received a $1M haircut during the Give Day 2023 festivities. (We don't know if he tipped his barber, but that would've been a pro move.) 

Held annually, UT’s Give Day rallies the UT extended community around the University with activities and traditions, including donors who commit to be virtual Minaret climbers. The climbers each pledge to raise at least $2,500 for the University, often by making appeals inspired by how much UT means to them.

“I support The University of Tampa because it is more than just a college to me,” said climber Maria Weizer ’96.

“It provided an environment for me to learn one of life’s important lessons: people are the driving force behind success.”

Other activities this year included the kickoff event, the Minaret Market on the Sykes College of Business lawn, and the closing party, Minarets at Sunset, on the Southard Family Building patio.

Leading climber and Trustee Stephen H. Mauldin ’90 said Give Day is UT’s “development and giving ‘Super Bowl’ event. It is a natural, fun and user-friendly way to encourage and promote wide-ranging engagement and support, be that broadly or targeted, for a dynamic and never-complacent university,” he said.