TAG Week honors private donors

  Tuesday, March 24, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

The Bicknell Family Center for the Arts, the Gorilla statue in Champions Plaza and the Robert W. Plaster Center were among the newest campus additions to get tagged this week as part of the annual Thank A Gorilla (TAG) event.

During TAG Week, which began at Pitt State in 2013, students in the PSU Advancement Ambassadors group place red ribbons and yellow tags on hundreds of campus objects that were funded by private donors. They also give TAG bracelets to students to symbolize the thousands of students who have received privately-funded scholarships.

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the importance of private giving on campus and to thank the donors who have contributed to the university.

“There is so much that we have here at Pitt State that was funded or partially funded by private donors,” said Becky May, director of donor relations. “It’s important that we bring awareness to the great level of support we have from donors and, even more important, thank them for their generosity.”

The students involved in the program are often as surprised as they are impressed by the level of private giving to PSU.

“It’s incredible to count just how many items we’re tagging this week,” said senior Shannon Ahlstedt. “Before I got involved with this program, I had no idea just how much we have here because of generous private donors. It’s an amazing thing to be at a university that has this level of support from alums and other donors.”

Junior Adam Cheshier said he believes students learn a lot about private giving because of TAG Week.

“I think there are a lot of students who don’t realize just how much we have around campus that are gifts from donors,” he said. “We hope the tags and ribbons on those items open students’ eyes to what can be achieved through generosity and a giving spirit.”