Dear friends of the DeVoe L. Moore Center,
Happy #GivingTuesday!
I brag about my students at the DeVoe L. Moore Center all the time. They are ambitious, curious, and diligent. They go on to work at companies like IBM, Lockheed Martin, Ernst & Young, Amazon, and the Charles Koch Foundation. They use FSU and the DeVoe Moore Center as a stepping stone to graduate programs, if not at Florida State then schools such as Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Some have earned Fulbright Fellowships. Since 2011, more than 120 students have interned at the DeVoe Moore Center. We have built our program to mentor as many as 30 students each year majoring in disciplines such as economics, finance, entrepreneurship, English, communications, and philosophy.
What many people don’t know, however, is that the center’s mentoring program is only possible because of private support from external (non-FSU) sources. Undergraduate programming incurs expenses of about $100,000 per year, excluding staff salaries, and only half of that funding comes from independent sources. Our center is somewhat unusual in that our endowment funds are expected to cover the entirety of the center’s overhead, including faculty salaries. Since we are independent of any academic department, we don’t benefit from the “hard wiring” of faculty salaries into the university budget.
Our innovative, immersive student internship program and research opportunities are possible only through this generous independent support. We use these contributions to underwrite undergraduate student research, conference fees and presentations, and (in a non-Pandemic world) professional travel for students.
We are also noticed. Last year, I was recognized as a “Partner With a Purpose” by the FSU Division of Student Affairs for our commitment to student success.
We know we can do much more. To build and fill out the program, however, we need a more sustainable funding base. Thus, we are broadening up an independent private donor base and fund to make this program more sustainable while expanding opportunities for these students. Even the smallest donations count: Larger donors and foundations look to the number of supporters, not just the amount they give, as a key indicator of public support for their mission and values.
Thus, this #GivingTuesday, I would be grateful if you would consider investing in our internship and student research program through a contribution to the DeVoe L. Moore Center in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (F04804).
If you have already given to Florida State University or the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy today,THANK YOU! Your contribution helps us at the center more than you may know.
If you want to further your commitment to FSU through a donation to the DeVoe L. Moore Center (F04804), go to this link. Click on the drop down menu for the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, select the DeVoe L. Moore Center (F04804), and donate securely online. You will get an acknowledgement from the FSU Foundation as well as from me. We’ll show you how your investment in our students is paying off with regular updates on our progress!
Wherever you give to today, know that your support tangibly helps those organizations and causes. I started my first nonprofit organization, a public policy think tank, in 1989. Since then, I have served on more than a dozen nonprofit and civic boards, started two additional nonprofits, and held numerous leadership positions in the charitable sector. I can attest to the fact that *all* donations, no matter how small ($5, $10, $25) actually do count.
Again, here’s the link to where you can find the DMC option at the FSU Foundation donation page:
https://one.fsu.edu/foundation/donate/college/social-sciences-public-policy/donation-form
Thank you for all your support for the DMC and Florida State. Go ‘Noles!
Dr. Sam Staley
