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News

Donation to SECC reaches $1 million

Broad faculty and staff support helps honor campaign anniversary

By Jessica Robertson
The Daily Cougar

UH faculty and staff recently reached the $1 million mark in their contributions to the State Employee Charitable Campaign, the annual workplace charity drive UH has participated in since 1995.

Employees' contributions for this year's campaign totaled more than $90,000 and brought UH's donation total to $1,008,728 in time for the SECC's 10th anniversary.

University President Jay Gogue appointed John Rudley, vice president for administration and finance, the campus SECC chairman in October. Rudley got help with the campaign from Robert Herrington, assistant vice president for executive development; Oscar Gutierrez, assistant to the vice president for university advancement; and John Powell, assistant to the president.

Each UH full-time employee was sent a packet containing a letter of support from Gogue along with SECC information and a pledge form they could mail to a collection point. 

About 13 percent of the eligible participants made the tax-deductible contributions to local and state charities through either a payroll deduction or a one-time gift. Although the amount of participating employees decreased in this year's campaign, the average individual gift increased to $168 last year from $130 in 2003. 

Faculty and staff from virtually all colleges, departments and offices participated at some level, Herrington said. Employees from the Department of Administration and Finance collectively donated more than $12,000. Donations from the Bauer College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences totaled nearly $10,000 each.

"I think Dr. Rudley and Dr. Gogue are just elated that our employees have responded in this fashion," Herrington said.

Employees were able to choose where their donations would go from nearly 550 participating agencies, including the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes and UH's Houston Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic. 

Herrington said the first collection drive for the 2005 SECC may start in mid-September, allowing employees to contribute before the holiday season.

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