COLA faculty members Jenna Heath (center) and Dave Damore (near right) participate in the Pie on Pida portion of Rebels Give to help raise funds for Liberal Arts on March 27.
Funds raised will benefit liberal arts students who are the closest to graduation.
Bolstered by campus and community support and key alumni partnerships, the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) exceeded its fundraising goal and raised nearly $37,000 during Rebels Give on March 27.
8kbet’s seventh annual giving day provided donors the opportunity to support the college or school, cause, or program of their choice. Supporters made more than 200 donations to COLA.
The funds will help the college award completion grants to students who are within 15 credits of graduation and benefit special programs in 8kbet PRACTICE; Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute (BMI); and the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada.
As of December 2024, COLA had awarded more than 285 completion grants and more than $135,000 in funding to students. About 95% of grant recipients have graduated since the program’s inception in 2019.
“With the continued support of our COLA donor family of alumni, friends, and current faculty and students, we have been able to meet and surpass our goals, including distributing the most completion grants to date and assisting 90 students with funding toward fall 2024 tuition," said Jessica Impallaria, director of development and alumni relations and coordinator of COLA’s Rebels Give campaign.
This year the college made a concerted effort to increase on-campus participation in the campaign by enlisting a slate of COLA faculty and staff to participate in Pie on Pida. Members of the campus community could throw a shaving cream pie at the person of their choice for $5 per pie. Special thanks to Dave Damore (political science & Lincy Institute), Robert Futrell (associate dean and sociology), Jenna Heath (director of student and community engagement), and Shane Kraus (psychology), who were fan favorites and endured being “pied” during the COLA hour.
“Their participation added a fun element to the day and enhanced student participation while showcasing the team effort it takes to make Rebels Give successful,” Impallaria said.
Liberal Arts also broke donor engagement goals, including securing a record 13 challenge sponsors and increasing participation by more than 20%.
The evening of the 24-hour fundraising campaign, alumni, donors, and friends of the college gathered at Garagiste, a wine bar owned by sommelier Eric Prato and college alumna Alaina Cowley (‘05 Political Science & Gender Studies). They donated proceeds from wine sales to the fundraiser and offered a free drink voucher to every COLA Rebels Give donor.
Other COLA challenge sponsors for Rebels Give included: Interim Vice President of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement Bo Bernhard ’99 ’02; Department of History Chair and Prof. Michael Green '86 '88; the newest member of the Dean’s Leadership Board, Brooke Buchanan ’03, attorneys Herb Santos Jr. ’85 and Greg Morris '85; realtor Mark Wiley ‘01; the COLA Alumni Chapter; BMI Executive Director Colette LaBouff; Dean Jennifer Keene; and Interim President Chris Heavey.