Student-Athlete Advisory Council Reaches 100% Giving for Second Year

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – For the second straight year, the Carnegie Mellon University Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) made a statement by investing in their own experience, as the leadership committee reached 100 percent giving to the University. Each of the Council’s 44 members made a gift to support the athletics department.

“The SAAC giving initiative is an achievement that we in SAAC are all very proud of,” said men’s swimmer Dustin Ferzacca. “The 100 percent participation really shows that the student-athletes here are truly engaged and invested in our school. It reflects the level to which we value CMU athletics and the community here. We hope that our participation in this will encourage other groups to show the same investment in supporting and enacting change here at CMU. It’s a great day to be a Tartan!”

After achieving 100 percent giving last year, SAAC challenged the rest of the student-athlete community to get involved. Nearly 300 student-athletes (approximately 70%) made gifts to support the university throughout the fiscal year.

“I am extremely proud of our Student-Athlete Advisory Council and our students’ collective commitment to investing in their own experience,” said Director of Athletics Josh Centor. “Our student-athletes have exhibited tremendous leadership in setting an example for others to follow within our community.”

Contributions to the athletics department are used to directly support student experience. Last year, the department set a new benchmark for number of donors, as well as dollars raised. The fundraised dollars provided the opportunity to install a state-of-the art video scoreboard and sound system at the tennis facility, upgrade our soccer facility, fund part-time assistant coaching positions, support recruiting efforts, offer leadership programming and offset student contributions for training trips.

To join the Student-Athlete Advisory Council in its support of the Tartan experience, click here to make a gift to the athletics department.