On March 15, Northern Kentucky University celebrated its 55th birthday, also known as Founders’ Day.
According to an article written by Clayton Castle, Founders’ Day is “a day of giving to honor the past and unite the community to EXCELerate NKU students’ futures.”
A birthday party for the school was held on the second floor of the Student Union, where free cake, a digital photo booth and a penny war were offered to students and staff. Anyone who donated $5 or more to designated departments of their choice were entered to win extra prizes.
Olivia Moragne-Scott (‘11), associate director of alumni engagement, said, “This is the university’s largest annual giving day. This opportunity allows students to raise awareness of Founders’ Day and learn the importance of philanthropy and giving back to the university.”
The Student Alumni Council’s table provided free cake, stickers and a penny war for students and staff. (Sydney Bellm)
Students line up to grab slices of cake from the Student Alumni Council staff. Excitement and interest about the extra prizes were expressed.
Olivia Moragne-Scott (left) passes out multiple pieces of cake to an excited group of students.
Sophomore Tate Judge says, “I really loved how friendly and approachable those working the table were! It made me feel welcome to the cake and other treats, as though I was truly part of the campus community,” and grins after picking up some free stickers. (Sydney Bellm)
Founders’ Day is celebrated with friends, community members and other generous individuals. These students happily enjoyed the table, festivities and the university’s birthday. (Sydney Bellm)
Isobel Edgerly, a senior studio arts major, smiles with her slice of cake and says, “I really like theme events and I think a birthday party for NKU was super cute.” (Sydney Bellm)
Bright yellow buckets for the penny war were organized on the Student Alumni Council table where donations could be placed. The QR code linked to the digital photobooth was promoted front and center to boost student engagement and spread the word. (Sydney Bellm)
Students eagerly fill out a form for the organization, opting to keep in touch with the Student Alumni Council after making a $10 donation to the penny war. They stated, “this is from both of us!” On Founders’ Day in 2022, NKU raised over $500,000 and had over 800 donors, according to Castle’s article. (Sydney Bellm)
This is the third year NKU has celebrated Founders’ Day. A generous donor empties their bag of change into one of the departments’ buckets to help support future student experiences. (Sydney Bellm)
A woman empties the change compartment of her wallet into one of the buckets, gaining cheers from the organization. (Sydney Bellm)
