Triple Match campaign raises $132,000 for college

A giving campaign that encourages recent College of Engineering graduates to pay forward to raise critical support for scholarships, student organizations and more has raised nearly a half-million dollars since 2017.

Since the Pay 4ward Triple Match campaign launched in 2017, 683 donors have invested a total of $487,216 to help Buckeye engineers and architects reach their potential by supporting scholarships and professorships, research and hands-on experiences, and new initiatives.

“Every gift matters and the Triple Match campaign is a great example of how donors come together to make a tremendous impact for the College of Engineering and Knowlton School,” said Anne Strychalski, associate director of annual giving and reporting for the college.

During the three-week online giving campaign held in November, more than 200 recent graduates gave $33,000. In addition, 67 alumni made their first gift to the College of Engineering.

Thanks to the special three-to-one matching opportunity, the campaign raised $132,000 total for college scholarships, programs and initiatives such as the Sustainable and Resilient Communities Service Learning Project, the Formula Buckeyes and the Integrated Business & Engineering Honors Program.

The generous donations make a tremendous impact on student organizations like EcoCAR, which provides students with critical hands-on experience and networking opportunities. The Ohio State team is the reigning champion in the national competition to reengineer a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer to improve the energy efficiency, safety and consumer appeal.

“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication College of Engineering alumni show toward current students. Not only did the Triple Match Campaign significantly increase the effectiveness of each donation, we also believe that it encouraged greater participation from our alumni and dedicated supporters,” said Ohio State EcoCAR Engineering Manager Kerri Loyd ’19, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree.

“This generous support is immediately invested back into our organization, allowing us to improve our equipment and curate meaningful opportunities for our students to build their skill set.”

Campaign matching funds were provided by lead donors Margie and Dean David B. Williams, Pat and Jim Dietz (BS '69, MS '70, chemical engineering), Susan and Rob Savage (BS '83, industrial and systems engineering), and Tom and Lynn Davison (MS '75 computer and information science).

Alumni from the Class of 2017 gave more gifts than any other class, and, for the fourth consecutive year, mechanical engineering alumni gave back to their department more than any other.