At UNC Greensboro, Spartans Give empowers alumni and friends to make a direct difference by supporting fundraising campaigns that matter most to our students. Now in its fourth year, Spartans Give has become a catalyst for meaningful change, connecting donors with projects that create lasting impact.
One of Spartans Give’s most successful campaigns yet took place earlier this spring: Ancient Mediterranean Studies & Archaeology (AMSA) department’s study abroad fundraising campaign. Recognizing the life-changing potential of international research experiences, AMSA set out to offset travel costs for students eager to explore the ancient world.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, the AMSA campaign nearly tripled its original fundraising goal—raising over $15,000 from 74 donors. Because of this support, eight students traveled for research, gaining experiences that will shape their lives and careers.
By engaging alumni who had enjoyed similar study abroad experiences, the AMSA team tapped into a sense of nostalgia and pride, motivating many graduates to make their first-ever donation to UNCG: more than half of those campaign donors (64%) supported UNCG for the first time.
Department Head and Professor Joanne Murphy shared that campaign funds sent seven students to Greece for archaeological fieldwork and one to New York City to study ancient Greek tragedy and museum collections.
These experiences “change our students by making them more confident, more inspired by what they can do with their degrees, and more open to the wider world. This in turn is slowly but surely changing our community,” says Dr. Murphy.
The AMSA department plans to run the campaign again in 2026, having found a meaningful way for alumni to support and engage with their program regularly. The success of this campaign demonstrates how targeted fundraising can open doors for students and strengthen connections between alumni and their academic roots.
Stay tuned for more Spartans Give updates as this year’s campaigns get underway. To learn more, visit https://spartansgive.uncg.edu.
