OS Newsletter 2019-2020 | Page 21

21 THE CAMPAIGN FOR OS OS is preparing to celebrate its 20th birthday in 2021! We have grown from a program with a director and a few staff members in 2001 to a vibrant community of nine instructional faculty, 17 affiliated faculty, 100+ students at any given time, and 800+ program alumni. With the support of generous OS and LSA alumni donors, we have been able to offer multiple streams of student funding, including study abroad, internship, and research awards, the prestigious Andy and Ellyn Lansing Leader- Scholar Award, and the Opportunity Award which helps students with substantial need due to unforeseen circumstances. Funds from gifts also support co-curricular experiences, including the Malkin Shadowing Program, and social events that help create the sense of community in OS that so many of you not only remember, but actively maintain. In anticipation of this important anniversary, we are planning to launch the Campaign for OS, to establish a $1 million endowment that will provide stable and continuous support for all of our initiatives. We already have in place a funding base that provides a solid foundation for this campaign; in fact, we have already reached 30 percent of our $1 million goal. A group of alumni has been working with us to help us develop detailed plans for this campaign, and we expect to officially launch it as soon as the coronavirus crisis subsides. If you would like to work with us on this project, perhaps as a representative for your class, please reach out to us at [email protected]. With your help, we will build a foundation to ensure that OS continues to offer these valuable experiences to its students in perpetuity.