Giving Goes Viral

Through a unique $2 million gift, an anonymous donor successfully inspired others to help establish distinguished professorships within the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS). Together, the college and donor decided to launch a “Professorships On Sale” program. They made the gift available for other donors to match in portions of $333,000. These combined funds then qualified for the North Carolina General Assembly’s $334,000 match for distinguished professorships. In this way, donors could establish $1 million distinguished professorships for $333,000, or two-thirds off the going rate.

The campaign program has been a huge success, generating interest, enthusiasm, and donations from individuals and corporations. To date, more than $5 million in new support has been committed, which will allow the college to recruit and retain outstanding senior faculty, who in turn attract top students and inspire the next generation of scientists, scholars and policy makers. The five professorships created include the first-ever endowed professorships in the Department of Statistics, and the Jacob and Betty Belin Distinguished Professorship, which can be used in chemistry, mathematics or physics.

Leave it to the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences to come up with an innovative mathematical strategy to maximize donations.