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The Importance of Giving Back
March 25, 2009
by David Martin '09
One of the traits that originally drew me to Fuqua over some of its peer institutions was what I perceived to be a chip on its proverbial shoulder; the new guy in town who had something to prove. Being the youngest sibling in my family, I immediately identified with the need to go above and beyond in order to stand out, and so I chose to identify myself with a business school that shared that ambition.
It is clear, not only from words, but also through his actions, that Dean Sheppard embodies that mindset. This fall, it delighted me to hear his vision for the global launch and coordinated effort with many Duke programs around the world. In addition to extending Fuqua's brand throughout the world and developing a business school curriculum with a greater global perspective than has ever been done before, the news also confirmed my own decision to come here, and made me even more excited to be a Blue Devil.
However, as I now sit on the other side of the table, having just completed my MBA studies this February, I am instantly overwhelmed with a sense of obligation towards my alma mater to help it achieve its goals. Just as Dean Sheppard must pursue ambitious endeavors to separate Fuqua from its peers, so too must our alumni base be more generous than that of our peers.
Having just moved from North Carolina to Texas with my wife and one-year-old daughter, it would be easy for me to justify letting this obligation fall onto the shoulders of fellow, more experienced alumni. If not forever, at least for the first few years while I get my feet wet and begin to chip away at the monumental debt that business school seems to have left me with. After all, the economy is tough right now, I have mouths to feed and debt to pay off, someone else can pick up my slack for a few years, right?
However, this is the school I chose to invest a significant amount of time and money into, and I also realize this is the time Fuqua needs us the most. As the economy wears me down and the recent down payment on my house was made with ever-dwindling stock holdings, it must be similarly difficult to continue expanding reach, space and faculty with a recession-riding endowment. With the smallest living alumni base of any of our peer schools, each of us has a greater share of the responsibility and a bigger impact on Fuqua's overall participation rate. Therefore, I have decided to give back right away. It might not be a lot - the pledge I just made of $1,000 over the next four years works out to $100 this year - but I know every dollar counts.